(Shenzhen) Deng Tianyong, a Christian who spent three years in prison for selling Bible players, was released from prison on July 1, 2023. He returned to his hometown in Shaxi Town, Zhongshan City. According to sources, although Deng Tianyong lost a lot of weight after three years in prison, he is in good spirits.
Christian technology company
Deng Tianyong is an employee of Shenzhen Tree of Life Technology Development Co., Ltd. which is in the business of selling Bible players. The head of the company was his wife, Fu Xianjuan. Deng was responsible for reviewing and managing the content downloaded from the electronic players. Feng Qunhao was the company’s technician, responsible for copying and burning the relevant videos reviewed by Deng. Han Li acted as the receptionist and managed the finances, responsible for packaging, transportation, and settlement of the company’s financial expenditures.
Arrested
On July 2, 2020, Deng Tianyong, Fu Xuanjuan, Feng Qunhao, and Han Li, were arrested by police in Shenzhen’s Bao’an District and detained in Shenzhen’s Jiuwei Detention Center. All of their family members were threatened not to disclose the facts of their case. Later, authorities officially arrested and prosecuted them for alleged “illegal business”.
Heavy sentences
The case went through several trials and was sentenced on July 16, 2021. The Shenzhen Bao’an District People’s Court found the four Christians, Fu Xuanjuan, Deng Tianyong, Han Li, and Feng Qunhao guilty of “illegal business operations”.
Their sentences were as follows:
- Fu Xuanjuan was to six years imprisonment and a fine of 200,000 yuan;
- Deng Tianyong was sentenced to three years with a 50,000 yuan fine;
- Feng Qunhao was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment and a fine of 30,000 yuan;
- Han Li was sentenced to one year and three months imprisonment
Their legal defense
When the first trial began, the four Christians, including Fu Xuanjuan, and their defense lawyers insisted that the sale of Bible players facilitated the Christian’s life of faith and was not harmful to society. The defense lawyers defended the innocence of the four Christians from four perspectives: the case was a unit crime, the players were not publications and should not be combined with memory cards, the sale of Bible players did not disrupt the market order, and the act did not have social harm, criminal illegality, or the need for criminal punishment. The court still insisted on a heavy sentence.
Bible Players
Bible players are small digital portable playback devices that have emerged in recent years. Each unit stores countless sermons and hymns. The players are simple to operate, bringing much convenience to Christians, especially older Christians.
In order to crack down on Christianity, the Chinese government has even made the manufacture and sale of Bible players an “illegal business” offense, and the managers of other similar companies in Shenzhen have been heavily sentenced.
Deng Tianyong
Deng Tianyong, 52 years old, was once caught up in drugs and could not quit. It was the Christian faith that completely changed him, so that he not only successfully recovered from drugs, but also became a God-fearing man.
As Deng served his sentence, his lawyer visited him in prison and led him in worship. After his release, he did not seem to be free. He never answered phone calls from close friends. Friends speculate that he, like other Christians released from prison, may have been instructed by police not to contact any Christians.
~ Lemon, Contributor to ChinaAid
