ChinaAid's Jonathan Dengler explains that Chang Yuchun and Li Chenhui were running their business in Shaanxi Province when they were arrested and hauled into Xi'an Municipal Intermediate Court for "inciting subversion of State power" and "illegal business operation."
"They have been printing a large amount of Christian material since 2015, and the Chinese government doesn't like that," reports Dengler. "They'd been printing and selling them since then. It's Christian material primarily, and any Christian material in China poses a threat to the Communist Party."
They were convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison and fined ¥250,000, which is equivalent to about $39,000.
"The attorney and the couple both thought that the fine was a little disproportionate to what they were doing," The ChinaAid spokesman continues. "They appealed in November, and the court essentially declined their appeal, so their fine is still ¥250,000 and seven years in prison."
The couple has four kids, their ages ranging from four to 22, who now live with their grandparents. Though ChinaAid has no details on the separate prisons to which the couple will be dispatched, Dengler says it is certain they have a tough time ahead of them.
