Source: www.persecution.org
Date: October 6, 2021
China (International Christian Concern) – The Chinese Christian online bookstore owner, Chen Yu, has his court of appeals scheduled for September 30 further delayed.
Chen was charged with “illegal business operations” on September 27, 2020, with his appeals court set in mid-March of 2021. Although Taizhou Intermediate People’s Court in Zhejiang province informed Chen’s mother Zheng Jingmei that the court planned to meet before the appeals court in mid-March, according to China Aid, the date has been repeatedly postponed.
Zheng Jingmei recently received a notice from Chen’s attorneys, informing her that since they will arrive from Xiamen, a city regarded as medium risk zone during the pandemic, the September 30 date will have to be delayed again until further notice.
On June 3, the two attorneys visited Chen Yu at the Linhai City Detention Center in Zhejiang province. While Chen’s parents also travelled far to see their son, due to the pandemic, they were unable to see him. Chen did tell his lawyer Deng Qinggao that he had started to pray with Christians in China at 5 pm daily, as previously suggested by his mother.
As the owner of the online Christian bookstore “Wheat Bookstore,” Chen was sentenced to seven years in prison and a hefty fine of 200,000 RMB ($29,450 USD) in 2020. The Chinese government wants to curb the sales of Christian books outside of state-vetted Christian bookstores, so it can better limit access to the Christian publication deemed inappropriate by the state.
HOW TO PRAY: Pray for all charges against Chen to be dropped. Pray for his bookstore to continue touching hearts with the Gospel. Pray for greater religious freedom for believers in China.