CHINESE INTELLIGENCE-RELATED LEGAL DOCUMENTS


PRC Criminal Law

Adopted by the Second Session of the Fifth National People's Congress [NPC] on 1 July 1979)
Amended by the Fifth Session of the Eighth NPC on 14 March 1997)

PART II Special Provisions

Chapter VI. Crimes of Disrupting the Order of Social Administration

Section 2. Crimes of Disrupting Justice

Article 305. During the course of criminal procedures, any witness, expert witness, recorder, translator who purposely makes false testimony, makes expert evaluation, records, translates with an intention to frame others or conceal criminal evidence in the circumstances which have an important bearing on a case is to be sentenced to not more than three years of fixed-term imprisonment or criminal detention; when the circumstances are severe, to not less than three years and not more than seven years of fixed-term imprisonment.

Article 306. During the course of criminal procedure, any defender, law agent destroys, falsifies evidence, assist parties concerned in destroying, falsifying evidence, threatening, luring witnesses to contravene facts, change their testimony or make false testimony is to be sentenced to not more than three years of fixed-term imprisonment or criminal detention; when the circumstances are severe, to not less than three years and not more than seven years of fixed-term imprisonment.

If witnesses, testimonies, or other evidences provided, shown, used by a defender, law agent are not true but are not falsified purposely, they do not fall into the category of falsifying evidences.

Article 307. Whoever stops with violence, threat, bribe, and other methods a witness to testify or instigates others to make false testimony is to be sentenced to not more than three years of fixed-term imprisonment or criminal detention; when the circumstances are severe, to not less than three years but not more than seven years of fixed-term imprisonment.

Whoever assists the parties concerned in destroying or falsifying evidences is to be sentenced to not more than three years of fixed-term imprisonment or criminal detention if the circumstances are severe.

Any judicial personnel committing the crimes as stated in the previous two paragraphs is to be severely punished.

Article 308. Whoever resorts to persecution and retaliation against a witness is to be sentenced to not more than three years of fixed-term imprisonment or criminal detention; when the circumstances are severe, to not less than three years and not more than seven years of fixed-term imprisonment.

Article 309. Whoever gathers a crowd to make disturbances, charges a court, or beats judicial personnel, severely disturbs the order of a court is to be sentenced to not more than three years of fixed-term imprisonment, criminal detention, control or to be fined.

Article 310. Whoever provides a person who he clearly knows to be a convict with a hiding place, financial and material support, assists him to escape, hides, or protects him by falsifying evidence is to be sentenced to not more than three years of fixed-term imprisonment, criminal detention, or control; when the circumstances are severe, to not less than three years but not more than ten years of fixed-term imprisonment.

Whoever commits a crime as stated in the previous paragraph and conspires in advance is to be punished as committing a joint crime.

Article 311. Whoever refuses to provide information, when the state's public security organs look into relevant situations and collect relevant evidence from him, about other people who he clearly knows have conducted criminal espionage activities is to be sentenced to not more than three years of fixed-term imprisonment, criminal detention, or control if the circumstances are severe.

Article 312. Whoever conceals, transfers, purchases, or acts as an agent to sell something he clearly knows as booty which have been gained through committing a crime is to be sentenced to not more than three years of fixed-term imprisonment, criminal detention, or control and may in addition or exclusively be sentenced to a fine.

Article 313. Whoever refuses to carry out a decision or order made by a people's court while he is able to carry it out is to be sentenced to not more than three years of fixed-term imprisonment, criminal detention, or be fined if the circumstances are severe.

Article 314. Whoever hides, transfers, sells off, purposely destroys property which is already sealed, seized, or frozen is to be sentenced to not more than three years of fixed-term imprisonment, criminal detention, or be fined if the circumstances are severe.

Article 315. Criminals who, in accordance with the law, are already under detention and perform one of the following acts which sabotage supervision order are to be sentenced to not more than three years of fixed-term imprisonment if the circumstances are severe:

(1) beat supervising personnel; (2) organize other people under detention to sabotage supervision order;

(3) assemble a crowd to make trouble, thereby disturbing normal supervision order;

(4) beat, carry out corporal punishment on or instigate other people to beat, carry out corporal punishment on other people under detention.

Article 316. Criminals, defendants, criminal suspects who are already under detention in accordance with the law and who escape are to be sentenced to not more than five years of fixed-term imprisonment or criminal detention. Whoever seizes by force criminals, defendants, criminal suspects who are sent under escort is to be sentenced to not more than seven years of fixed-term imprisonment; when the circumstances are severe, to not less than seven years of fixed-term imprisonment.

Article 317. Whoever takes a lead in organizing an attempt to escape from a prison or whoever takes an active part in the attempt is to be sentenced to not less than five years of fixed-term imprisonment; others who participate in the attempt to not more than five years of fixed-term imprisonment or criminal detention.

Whoever takes a lead in staging a riot to escape from a prison or in assembling a crowd to open a prison with tools or whoever takes an active part in the attempt is to be sentenced to not less than ten years of fixed-term imprisonment or life imprisonment; when the circumstances are particularly severe, to death penalty; others who participate in the attempt to not less than three years and not more than ten years of fixed-term imprisonment.