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Terrorists to Pay Ultimate Penalty
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Category：Legislative Updates
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Source：Pkulaw
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Publish Date：12-31-2001
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China's top legislative body approved new measures on Saturday to increase penalties for terrorist activities and better safeguard national security.
People convicted of organizing or leading terrorist groups may be sentenced to death, according to the amendment to the Criminal Code, which was passed by the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC) on Saturday when closing its 25th session.
Offenders previously would have received a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for such crime. Spreading false poison, such as phoney anthrax, or making false threats will result in a five-year jail term under the amendment.
The amendment crimina-lizes the illegal production, sale, transport and storage of radioactive material and germ weapons such as anthrax and acts of offering financial support to or laundering money for terrorist groups.
"It is a new move to counter newly emerged tendencies in terrorist activities," said Li Peng, chairman of the committee.
During its last session in October, the committee endorsed China's participation in the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, the first international legal document on anti-terrorism.
It also endorsed the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, which was signed by President Jiang Zemin and the presidents of Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in June.
In another development, the committee decided the Ninth NPC will convene its fifth session on March 5 next year. The annual session will review the work report by the State Council and performance of the central and local budgets this year. (chinadaily)
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