China releases jailed Protestant Bible publisher

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has released a Protestant minister jailed for three years for illegally printing Bibles and other Christian publications, a Christian advocacy group said.

In atheist China, printing of Bibles and other religious publications requires state approval. Bibles cannot be openly bought at bookshops in a country long criticised for intolerance of religion.

Cai Zhuohua, detained in 2004 and sentenced by a Beijing court in 2005 to three years in jail on charges of "illegal business practices", was released on Sept. 10, U.S.-based China Aid Association (CAA) said in a statement.

Cai had returned home and was described as "in good spirits", CAA said.

China has about 40 million active Christians, with their numbers evenly divided between state-run and underground churches, according to expert estimates.

China's stability-obsessed government frowns on unsanctioned religious gatherings and regularly detains priests and seminarians.

In March, the Protestant vice principal of a Chinese Communist Party training school in Baoding, a city in Hebi province neighbouring Beijing, was expelled from the Party and demoted for organising a Bible study session.