Franklin Wolf | Commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom | China Aid Advisory Board website
(Hohhot, Inner Mongolia – May 6, 2024) It is reported that in the case of Wang Honglan and other Christians in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, who were charged with “illegal business operations,” four of the involved Christians – Ji Heying, Ji Guolong, Liu Wei, and Zhang Wang – were released on bail at 10:00 a.m. on April 14, 2024, leaving the detention center and returning home. The lengthy trial began on November 20 last year and lasted nearly 50 days, finally concluding in early January this year. Four other Christians – Wang Honglan, Wang Jiale, Liu Minna, and Yang Zhijun – are still in custody with no verdict yet.
Among the nine accused Christians, Ban Yanhong was not released on bail. Due to his confession and acceptance of punishment, the court directly sentenced him to 5 years in prison, with the sentence ending in April 2026. The 9 Christians spent money to help others purchase Bibles on a completely non-profit basis, but were accused of suspected illegal business operations.
Since converting at the age of 24, Wang Honglan has persevered in serving the church for decades. She previously served a 5-year prison sentence for her faith and was also sent to a labor camp for 1 year. The church she attends has been holding a morning prayer meeting at six o’clock every day for thirty years, never stopping regardless of the season, or whether it was bitterly cold or scorching hot. For many years, in order to make Bibles more affordable for more Christians, they purchased state-sanctioned Bibles published by the Three-Self Church in Nanjing at a 95% of the regular price and then sold them at a 75% of the regular price.
During the trial, many parents who had benefited from her attended the entire proceedings. Wang Honglan recounted being beaten in the detention center, being bullied into giving massages to others for a year, and suffering a lot, to the point that her hands still hurt. When she said this, there was weeping throughout the courtroom. For a long time in the detention center, she was forbidden to speak and others were forbidden to speak to her. As a result, after interacting with her for a long time, others began to acknowledge that she was a good person.
Wang Honglan did not acknowledge any of the charges or crimes alleged in the indictment. She did not make a single penny of profit and continually donated the money given to her by the younger generation. She had done this for decades. The printed gospel flyers were for giving to people and spreading the gospel, not for business.
The other Christians also gave very good testimonies for their faith during the trial. As their detention approached three years, it is encouraging that four Christians were released on bail.
