China adopts law banning defamation of armed forces
BEIJING: China has passed a new legislation that bans “defamation” of military personnel, adding an array of legal tools to its 2018 law under which a popular Chinese blogger was punished recently for “defaming” PLA soldiers killed in last year’s clash with the Indian Army at the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh.
The legislation, which was adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) on Thursday, states that no organisation or individual may in any way slander or derogate the honour of servicemen, nor may they insult or slander the reputation of members of the armed forces, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The new legislation also bans the desecration of plaques in honour of military personnel.
Prosecutors can file public interest litigation in cases of defamation of military personnel and the infringement on their legitimate rights and interests that have seriously affected their performance of duties and missions and damaged the public interests of society, according to the new law.
“No organisation or individual may in any way slander or derogate the honour of servicemen, nor may they insult or slander the reputation of members of military forces,” the legislation read, according to a report by the state news agency Xinhua.
The Xinhua report said that the legislation allows prosecu
tors to act if the slander seriously affects soldiers’ “performance and missions”.
“Prosecutors can file public interest litigation in cases of defamation of military personnel and the infringement on their legitimate rights and interests that have seriously affected their performance of duties and missions and damaged the public interests of society,” the law adds.
Commenting on the new law, Song Zhongping, a former PLA instructor and Hong Kongbased military affairs commentator said the legislation which also covers families of service personnel was meant to bolster the People’s Liberation Army’s sense of mission.
“Previously, our legal instruments were not complete and this new law will provide more comprehensive protection for the rights and honours of our soldiers,” Song told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.
Chinese state media listed several cases of perceived defamation – mostly involving PLA’s deadly clash with the Indian army in 2020 – that could have hastened the passage of the law that was put up to the NPC in April.
One case was of a 63-year-old man detained by the “…Beijing police after he was found to have slandered martyr Wang Wei and insulted Wang’s wife in a WeChat group earlier in April. Wang was a Chinese air force pilot who died when his fighter jet collided with a US military reconnaissance aircraft in the South China Sea in 2001,” a state media report said.