E/CN.4/2001/0063 page 10 Qingyuan County, Hebei Province; An Shuxin, a 51-year-old male from Xushui County, Hebei Province; Jia Zhiguo, a 65-year-old male from Jinxian County, Hebei Province. The investigation confirmed that the persons concerned are Catholic, but are neither priests nor bishops. No constraining measures specifically, arrest or detention - were taken by the local police in respect of these individuals. They currently lead normal lives. III. Jiang Sunian (the correct spelling of this name is Jiang Surang), a 31-year-old male from Cangnan County, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. While the individual concerned is indeed Catholic, he is not a priest. During the second half of 1997 he engaged in fraudulent activities which netted him some 120,000 yuan renminbi. On 5 April 2000, in accordance with article 12, section 1, and article 225 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Cangnan County People’s Court sentenced him to six years’ imprisonment for fraudulent activities. Freedom of religious belief is a fundamental right of the Chinese people. The Constitution of the People’s Republic of China clearly stipulates that ‘citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief. No State organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens who believe in, or do not believe in, any religion.’ Similar provisions protecting religious freedom and prohibiting any discrimination against citizens whether or not they are believers are contained in criminal law, civil law, legislation governing 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 detained, arrested or imprisoned in China for his or her religious beliefs. However, believers not only have the same rights but also have the same obligations under the law as non-believers. Any citizen, though enjoying religious freedom, must fulfil the obligations set out in the Constitution and in the law. No one is exempt from punishment for violations of the law simply on grounds of his or her religious convictions. Jiang Surang was sentenced because he broke the law, which has nothing to do with his faith. IV. Allegation that Catholics in Zhejiang Province were forced to become members of the Catholic Patriotic Association. A thorough investigation has confirmed that the allegation in the letter to the effect that Catholics in Zhejiang Province have been arrested and compelled to sign Catholic Patriotic Association membership forms or else their children would be prevented from attending school has no basis in fact. It should be stressed that China is a country of many faiths, and