Chinese court sent christain missionary and family to prison

 A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced a Protestant minister, his wife and her brother to prison terms of up to three years for illegally printing Bibles and other Christian publications, a Reuters report from Beijing quoting their lawyer said. The conviction of house church minister Cai Zhuohua, 34, and his family by the Beijing People’s Intermediate Court came days before US President George W. Bush arrives for a state visit, the news agency said.

In atheist China, printing of Bibles and other religious publications need special approval from the State Bureau of Religious Affairs. Bibles cannot be openly bought at bookshops in a country long criticized overseas for intolerance of religion. Cai, arrested in September last year, was sentenced to three years in prison on charges of “illegal business practices”.His 33-year-old wife, Xiao Yunfei, was given a two-year prison sentence and her brother, Xiao Gaowen, 37, an 18-month term, the lawyer was quoted as saying. Both were convicted on similar charges.