Betraying the country will never be tolerated, life imprisonment and confiscation of property!
Compiled from The Paper
Case review
Liang Chengyun (English name JOHN SHING-WAN LEUNG), male, born on May 1, 1945, Hong Kong permanent resident ID number A801504, Hong Kong and Macao residents' travel permit number H06816957, U.S. passport number 505462343. Liang Chengyun, suspected of engaging in espionage activities, was subjected to compulsory measures by the Suzhou National Security Bureau of Jiangsu Province on April 15, 2021, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China and the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China.
The Suzhou Intermediate People's Court, after lawful trial, publicly pronounced the first-instance verdict on May 15, 2023, finding Liang Chengyun guilty of espionage, sentencing him to life imprisonment, deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of personal property of 500,000 RMB.
"Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China"
Article 110
Whoever commits any of the following acts of espionage that endanger national security shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years or life imprisonment; if the circumstances are relatively minor, the sentence shall be fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 3 years but not more than 10 years:
(1) Joining an espionage organization or accepting tasks assigned by an espionage organization or its agents;
(2) Directing the enemy at bombing targets.
Article 113
Among the crimes of endangering national security stipulated in the preceding articles of this chapter, except for those provided in Article 103, Paragraph 2, Article 105, Article 107, and Article 109, if the crimes cause particularly serious harm to the state and the people or involve particularly heinous circumstances, the death penalty may be imposed.
For crimes under this chapter, confiscation of property may also be imposed.
[1] The author's perspective
The crime of espionage refers to acts such as joining a spy organization, accepting tasks from a spy organization or its agents, or directing attacks against targets for the enemy, and falls under the category of crimes endangering national security. Espionage is a behavioral crime, meaning the actual occurrence of legally defined harmful consequences is not required for the establishment of the crime.
As our country grows stronger step by step, there are always ill-intentioned individuals seeking to steal state secrets to hinder our development and progress. Many overseas students have been deceived out of ignorance, and some have succumbed to the temptation of money. But regardless of the reason, national security must not be overlooked or treated lightly; otherwise, the nation and its people will be in danger, and how can personal happiness be discussed?
