International
Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that a Chinese Christian online
bookstore owner, Chen Yu, was charged with “illegal business operations”
on September 27. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined
200,000 RMB ($29,450 USD).
According to a document from
the People's Court of Linhai City, shared by Father Francis Liu from
the Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness, in addition to the
seven-year sentence and imposed fine, Chen will also have his iPhone
confiscated. Additionally, the 12,864 Christian books from his bookstore
will be destroyed by the Linhai City Public Security Bureau.
On September 1, 2019, Chen, who operated his online bookstore in
Zhejiang province’s Taizhou city, was detained for selling unapproved
religious publications imported from Taiwan, the US, and other
countries. Consequently, the police launched a nationwide investigation
to track down the bookstore’s customers through sale records and
confiscated their purchased books.
On November 6, 2019, ICC also published the accounts of many Wheat Bookstore customers who were harassed by local authorities. According to China Aid, the Chinese government was utilizing this investigation opportunity to search for “illegal [religious] activities locally.”
A house church pastor from Shenzhen city in the southern province of Guangdong also told Bitter Winter, “People
who buy Christian books are practicing believers, so the government
looks into them to determine how dangerous they are to the stability of
their regime.” He, too, was summoned for purchasing from Wheat Bookstore. “The
Communist Party has done too many shameful deeds and continues to
suppress people. Our government has a guilty conscience,” the pastor added.
Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, said, “The
sentence for Mr. Chen Yu shows how the Chinese government is
increasingly frightened by all things religious. From religious symbols,
Chinese couplets, to Christian books, anything that features religious
elements is no longer tolerated by the Chinese Communist Party. The
disproportionate sentencing of Christians, such as Early Rain Covenant
Church pastor Wang Yi and Chen Yu, under the same charge implies that
the crackdown against Christianity will only intensify. The US
government and international community should continue to stand up to
the tyranny in Beijing.”
International Christian Concern is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) charitable organization focused on human rights, religious freedom and assisting the persecuted Christian Church around the world.
Media Contact
Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator
E-mail: press@persecution.org
Phone: (301)-859-3842
International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #941, Washington, D.C. 20006
www.persecution.org | E-mail: icc@persecution.org
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