A Chinese court has sentenced a Hong Kong businessman to two years in prison for smuggling Bibles to an underground Christian church on the mainland.

Lai Kwong-keung, whose case attracted international concern, was sentenced Monday by a court in Yinxi township in southern China's Fujian province after a half-day trial.

Authorities said Mr. Lai brought into the country thousands of Bibles of a version not approved by the government. The Bibles are a new translation edited by the founder of a Christian group known as the Shouters. The Shouters are based in southeastern China and have a half-million followers. China banned the group in 1995.

The name Shouters refers to a style of worship that includes shouting out prayers.

The 38-year-old businessman was convicted of engaging in "illegal business activities," which carries a maximum five-year penalty. He had earlier been charged with "using an evil cult to damage society," a charge that carries the death penalty.

Two mainland Chinese who were tried with Lai were sentenced to three years in prison.

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