China Jails Two for Running Internet Cafe That Was Hit by Deadly Fire

BEIJING (AP) -- A Chinese court sentenced two Internet cafe operators to prison Monday for running the Beijing business without a license last June when arsonists torched the shop and killed 25 people, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The blaze at the Blue Speed Cyber Cafe prompted a nationwide safety crackdown on Internet cafes _ many of which were operated illegally. Iron bars over the windows trapped the screaming victims in the packed cafe in the northwestern Haidian university district.

Under the verdict handed down by the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court, one of the cafe's operators, Zheng Wenjing, was sentenced to three years in prison and fined 300,000 yuan ($36,145), Xinhua reported.

The other operator, Zhang Minmin, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison and fined 200,000 yuan ($24,100).

Last August, a Beijing court sentenced two boys to life in prison for setting the pre-dawn fire at the 24-hour cafe. The youths allegedly torched the business to get revenge after arguing with employees.