State adamant in elimination of cults

NO government can turn a blind eye to the cults that have threatened social stability and people's lives, said one Beijing attorney in an interview with China Daily.

"Any activities of individuals or organizations should not hinder others from enjoying their rights. Only when everyone obeys the rules can society stay orderly," said Guo Yang, director of the Beijing Hualian Law Firm.

However, official statistics indicate that more than 1,400 Falun Gong practitioners have died because they followed Li Hongzhi's fallacies and refused to receive medical treatment.

Guo pointed out that the Falun Gong activities violate the Constitution and the Criminal Law as well as other administrative laws such as Regulations on the Administration of Registration of Social Groups, Regulations on the Administration of the Publishing Industry and the Law on Assembly, March and Demonstration.

"The violators should be severely punished according to the laws to protect people's civil rights," Guo said.

The decision on banning and punishing cults adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and the judicial interpretations issued by the Supreme People's Court and Procuratorate have provided a legal basis for the campaign against cults.

There have been no such accurate laws directly dealing with crimes committed by cults before, Guo said.

"It is one of China's efforts to build a more mature legal system and develop towards the rule of laws," he said.

The decision and the judicial interpretation have also contributed to protecting citizens' freedom of religious belief, according to professor Liu Jinyou of the China University of Politics and Law.

"The decision aims to strike at cults such as Falun Gong. It will not interfere in normal religious activities in China,"said Liu.

In addition, Falun Gong is not a religious organization, but is instead a cult using religious concepts, he said.

By making use of religious concepts and announcing himself higher than any other Buddha, Li Hongzhi has in fact depreciated normal religions, he said.

"The enforcement of the two legal documents helps make a clear distinction between religion and cult, remove Falun Gong's ill influence on normal religions and protect citizen's freedom of religious belief," Liu told China Daily.

(China Daily 1999/11/08)