A/56/253 regional autonomy for national minorities and military service, compulsory education legislation, the electoral law relating to the People’s Congress and the law establishing village committees. No one is prosecuted or imprisoned in China for his or her religious beliefs. However, citizens who break the law are not exempt from prosecution on the grounds of their religious beliefs. Jiang Surang was sentenced because he broke the law, which has nothing to do with his religious beliefs.” “The situation concerning China’s attitude towards Falun Gong “According to the communication a total of 35,000 Falun Gong practitioners were arrested. Investigations have revealed that, the figure actually referred to the number of meetings (not persons) held since July last, at which a person appearing in a public place in Beijing for the purpose of causing trouble had been requested to — or made to — leave. Falun Gong followers have congregated on several occasions on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, violating municipal bans and public security restrictions, and disrupting law and order. They were invited by the authorities to leave and were sometimes made to leave. The Government seeks to educate them, and provides them with free food and beverages, and makes transportation available to them so that they may return home, or pays their return trip. The allegation that 35,000 Falun Gong adepts were arrested is completely false. “According to the same communication, 84 Falun Gong practitioners were sentenced to up to 18 years imprisonment. It should be stressed that the practising of Falun Gong in private by an individual in a manner that does not affect the public interest or the rights of other citizens is not an offence. However, everyone knows that a small number of Falun Gong followers have been prosecuted for breaking the law, for engaging in fraudulent activities and for repeated public order offences in the context of the sect. Four of them are — Li Chang, Wang Zhiwen, Ji Liewu and Yao Lie — leaders of the movement and actively collaborate with Li Hongzhi in organizing the sect and spreading superstition among gullible people, often with fatal consequences. Moreover, they have: (a) Stolen a total of 37 classified documents; (b) Illegally published sect propaganda; (c) Amassed illegal profits totalling 45,130,000 yuan renminbi; (d) Organized gatherings in Beijing and Tianjing for the purpose of harassing the public administration and disrupting ordinary professional activities and law and order. “The perpetrators have been charged with: (a) organizing and using a sect to prevent exercise of the law; (b) organizing and using a sect for illicit acts resulting in the deaths of a number of individuals and (c) stealing State secrets, all of which are very serious offences. Li Chang, Wang Zhiwen and Ji Liewu, the main guilty parties, and Li Jie, their accomplice, all deserved to be punished in accordance with the law. However, since Li Chang and Yao Lie while in detention voluntarily 54