Laws of the People's Republic of China

To maintain social stability, protect the interests of the people, and guarantee the smooth progress of reform and opening and the socialist modernization drive, it is imperative to ban heretical cult organizations, and to prevent and punish cult activities. In line with the Constitution and relevant laws, the following decision is hereby made:

1. Heretical cult organizations shall be resolutely banned according to the law, and all of their criminal activities shall be dealt with severely. Heretical cults, operating under the guise of religion, qigong or other forms, employ various means to disturb social order and jeopardize people's lives and property and economic development, and they must be banned according to the law and punished resolutely. People's courts, people's procuratorates, public security, national security, and judicial and administrative organs shall fulfill their respective duties and cooperate in carrying out these tasks. Persons who do the following will be dealt with severely according to the law: those who organize and take advantage of cult organizations to violate national laws and administrative regulations, who gather a crowd to make trouble, who disrupt social order, and who deceive others, cause deaths, rape women, swindle people out their money and property, or commit other crimes using superstition and heresy.

2. The principle of combining education and punishment should be followed in order to unite and educate the majority of the deceived members and to mete out severe punishment to the handful of criminals. In the process of handling cult organizations according to the law, people who, unaware of the truth, have participated in cult activities shall be differentiated from the criminal elements who organize and take advantage of cult organizations for illegal activities and to intentionally destroy social stability. The deceived members shall not be prosecuted. The organizers, plotters, leaders and core members who have committed crimes shall be investigated firmly and given criminal sanctions according to the law. Those who have confessed their crimes or assisted the investigations shall be dealt with leniently, given a reduced term in their sentence or exempted from punishment in accordance with the law.

3. The long‑term, comprehensive publicity of and education about the Constitution and laws shall be carried out among all citizens, and the knowledge of science and culture shall be popularized. Banning heretical cult organizations and punishing heretical cult activities according to the law is conducive to protecting normal religious activities and the citizens' freedom of religious belief. The masses of people should be fully aware of the inhumane and anti‑social nature of heretic cults so that they can knowingly oppose and resist the influences of cult organizations, enhance their awareness of the law and abide by national laws.

4. In the effort to prevent and fight against heretical cult activities, all social forces shall be mobilized and organized, and comprehensive measures adopted. The people's governments and judicial bodies at all levels shall earnestly implement the responsibility system and make it an important long‑term task to guard against the emergence and spread of heretical cult organizations, and to prevent and punish heretical cult activities, thereby maintaining social stability.