China's highest court and prosecutor's office have...

China's highest court and prosecutor's office have issued a legal interpretation permitting use of the death penalty and harsh anti-subversion laws to punish followers of the banned Falun Gong, in a decision that may signal a new round of trials of group members.
In a nationwide order to local law enforcement agencies, effective immediately, the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate broadly reinterpret murder and subversion statutes for use in prosecution of Falun Gong adherents. According to the lengthy directive, practitioners who in any way take part in suicide attempts may be charged with murder, which is usually punishable by death. Laws to prevent subversion, which carry lengthy prison terms, may be used against followers who distribute leaflets deemed antigovernment.
The official news agency, Xinhua, said reinterpreting the murder statute was specifically intended to discourage suicide attempts like the immolation by five people in Tiananmen Square in January. Two died, and China's government accused the five of being practitioners of Falun Gong, something denied by overseas advocates who say the group forbids suicide.