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	DECISION OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL PEOPLE¡¯S CONGRESS ON THE PUNISHMENT OF CRIMINALS WHO SMUGGLE, PRODUCE,SELL OR DISSEMINATE PORNOGRAPFIC ARTICLES

	(Adopted at the 17th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Seventh National People's Congress on December 28, 1990)


SUBJECT : PORNIGRAPHY, INDECENCY; PUBLIC SECURITY
ISSUING DEPARTMENT : STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL PEOPLE¡¯S CONGRESS
ISSUE DATE : 12/28/1990
IMPLEMENT DATE : 12/28/1990
LENGTH : 1120 words
TEXT :

With a view to punishing criminals who smuggle, produce, sell or disseminate pornographic books and periodicals, movies, video-and audio- tapes, pictures or other pornographic articles, and for the purpose of maintaining social security and public order, strengthening the building of a socialist society with advanced culture and ideology and stemming the corrosive influence of the decadent bourgeois ideology, the following decision is made:

1. Whoever smuggles pornographic articles for the purpose of making profits or disseminating them shall be punished in accordance with the Supplementary Provisions Concerning the Punishment of the Crimes of Smuggling. Whoever carries or mails any pornographic article of small quantity into or out of the territory of China, not for the purpose of making profits or disseminating them, shall be punished in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Customs Law.

2. Whoever produces, duplicates, publishes, sells or disseminates pornographic articles for the purpose of making profits shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention and shall concurrently be sentenced to a fine; if the circumstances are serious, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years and shall concurrently be sentenced to a fine; and if the circumstances are especially serious, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years or life imprisonment and shall concurrently be sentenced to a fine or confiscation of property. If the circumstances are relatively minor, the offender shall be subjected to punishment by the public security organ in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Regulations on Administrative Penalties for Public Security.

Whoever provides book numbers for others to publish pornographic books and periodicals shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention and shall concurrently or simply be sentenced to a fine. Whoever provides others with book numbers when he clearly knows that these will be used in the publication of pornographic books and periodicals shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph.

3. Whoever disseminates in society pornographic books and periodicals, movies, video-and audio-tapes, pictures or any other pornographic articles, where the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than two years or criminal detention; where the circumstances are relatively minor, the offender shall be subjected to punishment by the public security organ in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Regulations on Administrative Penalties for Public Security.

Whoever organizes shows of pornographic movies or video-tapes or similar audio-and video-products shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention and shall concurrently be sentenced to a fine; where the circumstances are serious, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years and shall concurrently be sentenced to a fine. Where the circumstances are relatively minor, the offender shall be subjected to punishment by the public security organ in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Regulations on Administrative Penalties for Public Security.

Whoever produces or duplicates pornographic movies and video-tapes or similar audio-and video-products and organizes shows of such products shall be given a heavier punishment in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph.

Whoever disseminates pornographic articles to minors under the age of eighteen shall be given a heavier punishment.

Parents and schools shall rigorously discipline and educate minors under the age of sixteen who make private copies of, or pass around, pornographic pictures, books and periodicals, or other pornographic articles.

4. Whoever uses pornographic articles to engage in criminal hooligan activities shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of Article 160 of the Criminal Law; ringleaders of criminal hooligan groups or those who engage in criminal hooligan activities leading to especially serious consequences, may, in accordance with the provisions of Article 1 of the Decision Regarding the Severe Punishment of Criminals Who Seriously Endanger Public Security, be given punishment above the maximum punishment stipulated in the Criminal Law, up to and including the death sentences.

Whoever uses pornographic articles to impart ways for committing crimes shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of Article 2 of the Decision Regarding the Severe Punishment of Criminals Who Seriously Endanger Public Security; where the circumstances are especially serious, the offender shall be sentenced to life imprisonment or death.

5. If a unit commits any illicit or criminal act mentioned in Article 1, 2 or 3 of this Decision, the person(s) directly in charge and other person(s) directly involved in it shall be punished respectively in accordance with the provisions of the aforesaid Articles, the unit shall be subjected to a fine or penalty, and the competent administrative department may order the unit to suspend business for rectification or rescind its licence.

6. Whoever is under any of the following circumstances shall be given a heavier punishment in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Decision:

(1) ringleaders of a criminal group;

(2) State functionaries who take advantage of their office to smuggle, produce, duplicate, publish, sell or disseminate pornographic articles;

(3) persons in charge of facilities for video recording, photographing, duplicating, etc. who, by taking advantage of these facilities, commit illicit or criminal acts mentioned in Article 2, 3, or 4 of this Decision; or

(4) adults who instigate any minor under the age of eighteen to smuggle, produce, duplicate, sell or disseminate pornographic articles.

7. Pornographic articles, illegal gains from smuggling, producing, duplicating, publishing, selling or disseminating pornographic articles and the offender's own guilty tools shall be confiscated. The confiscated pornographic articles shall be destroyed in accordance with relevant regulations of the State. All gains from fines and penalties or confiscation shall be turned over to the State Treasury.

8. For the purpose of this Decision, pornographic articles refer to obscene books, periodicals, movies, video-and audio-tapes, pictures, etc. that explicitly portray sexual behavior or undisguisedly publicize pornography.

Scientific works on human physiology or medical knowledge are not pornographic articles.

Literary and art works of artistic value which contain obscene contents shall not be regarded as pornographic articles.

The categories and catalogues of pornographic articles shall be prescribed by the relevant competent departments under the State Council.

9. This Decision shall enter into force as of the date of promulgation.