The sentences of four key members of the banned Falun Gong cult have been widely supported by people across the nation.

People in the Chinese capital Beijing agreed with the sentences handed down on Monday by the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court.

Wang Xiurong, an elderly woman who lives in the Xizongbu Hutong, said that the four had promoted the cult and caused many deaths. "They deserve to be punished," she said.

Xu Xiuru of the China Senior Scientists Association said that these key cult members instigated illegal demonstrations outside government departments and institutions that disrupted social order.

In China's largest commercial city Shanghai, university teachers and students stood firmly behind the sentences, which ranged from seven to 18 years.

Teachers at East China College of Political Science and Law noted that the court's range of punishment was appropriate.

People in North China's coastal city of Tianjin also backed the sentences.

Wang Tianju, named one of the top ten lawyers in China, said China is a country ruled by law and the crimes committed by the four leading Falun Gong members should be punished according to the law.

Editor-in-Chief Zhou Shaolu of the Sciences for Youth magazine also expressed his support for the sentences.

"Some of the Falun Gong members claimed at that time that Falun Dafa is the law that should be upheld, not the laws of the country," Zhou said. "However, those that opposed the law and acted as enemies of the people will be severely punished according to the law."

Ju Hongju, deputy director of the Public Security Bureau of Siping, Jilin Province, said the sentences have preserved the integrity of the law and reflect public opinion.

Li Jinchang, former head of a Falun Gong promotion headquarters in Shijiazhuang, said the Falun Gong cult endangered the country and brought harm to the practitioners themselves.

"I have long distanced myself from the cult, and now I am doing what I can to help other practitioners see the true nature of Falun Gong and its dangers," Li said.

(Xinhua 12/29/1999)