China bible smuggler freed

Li Guangqiang was arrested in May

HONG KONG, China -- A Hong Kong businessman jailed by China for smuggling bibles into the country has been freed and reports say he has returned to Hong Kong.

The release of Li Guangqiang announced Saturday by the Chinese authorities comes as Beijing prepares to play host to a visit by U.S. President George W. Bush who has taken a personal interest in the case.

A family friend of Li's told the Reuters news agency Sunday that he has since returned to Hong Kong.

According to the state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua Li was freed on medical grounds following a decision by a court in the coastal province of Fujian.

The 38-year-old businessman was arrested in May on charges of shipping 16,000 bibles to an underground Christian group -- deemed an evil cult by Beijing.

Under such a charge Li faced a possible death sentence.

By the time of his trial last month however that charge was dropped in place of the lesser crime of operating an illegal business.

He was sentenced to two years in jail and fined 150,000 yuan ($18,120).

Two Chinese men arrested with Li were sentenced to three years in jail.

Human rights activists in Hong Kong condemned the conviction as a serious violation of religious freedom, saying the judgment would not stand in most other places in the world.

China bans religious activity outside state-backed associations, but millions of faithful still worship regularly in underground churches and prayer groups.