Judicial explanations on crimes by cults

China declared today the launch of detailed judicial explanations on laws regarding crimes committed by cults.

China's top judicial and procuratorial organs, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, also declared that the explanations take effect as of today.

Under the explanations jointly issued by the two departments, "cult groups" in Article 300 in the Criminal Law refers to those illegal groups that have been found using religions, Qigong or other things as a camouflage, deifying their leading members, recruiting and controling their members and deceiving people by molding and spreading superstitious ideas, and endangering the society.

Section 1 of Article 300 in the Criminal Law stipulates that " those who organize superstitious sects and secret societies or use superstition to violate laws or administrative regulations" are subject to three to seven years imprisonment, and those whose cases are extremely serious are subject to seven years imprisonment or more".

Under Section 2 and 3 of the article, those who set up or use superstitious sects and secret societies or superstition to deceive people and cause death of others are subject to the penalties as indicated in the previous section.

Under the two sections, those who organize and use superstitious sects, secret societies or superstitions to sexually exploit women or swindle money or property should be punished according to articles on rape and swindle in the Criminal Law.

Under the explanations, those who organize and use sects and commit one of the following activities should be penalized according to Section 1, Article 300 in the criminal law:

I. gathering people together to besiege and charge government organs, enterprises or institutions, and disrupt their work, production and teaching and research activities;

II. holding illegal assembly, demonstrations to incite or deceive, or organize their members or others to besiege, charge, seize, disrupt public places or places for religious activities, or disrupt social order;

III. resisting departments concerned to ban their groups, or resuming the banned groups, or establishing other sects, or continuing their activities;

IV. instigating, deceiving or organizing their members or others to refuse fulfilling their legal obligations, and the case is serious;

V. publishing, printing, duplicating or distributing publications spreading malicious fallacies, and printing symbols of their sects; and

VI. other activities that violate the state law or administrative regulations.