Amendment to Criminal Law to bring harsher punishments

The 9th Amendment to Criminal Law will be effective next month. Corrupt officials may face a life sentence without commutation or parole, and raping of or obscene act towards a man will go to jail. In addition, some behaviors, such as gathering a crowd in a medical center to disrupt its normal operational order, paying someone to take a test, or cursing a judge in court, will now be regarded as crimes.

Making trouble in a hospital to benefit oneself

Some patients and their families won’t go through legal procedures to resolve a medical dispute; instead, they gather a crowd to make a scene at the hospital hoping to be offered an out-of-court settlement. The amendment states that a ring-leader gathering people to disturb social order and causing severe losses for enterprises, educational institutes, research institutes or hospitals will face imprisonment of three to seven years. Other participants will face jail time of no more than three years, detention, surveillance, or deprivation of political rights.

Buying women or children

In the past, the criminal law didn't extend to purchasers of women and children, and now the amendment directly targets them.

However, the amendment states that buyers who don’t abuse women or children or interfere with legal rescue operations, or who don't prevent bought women or children from returning to their own homes, could be dealt with leniently.

Cheating including paying someone to take a test

Cheaters in a national test will face jail time of less than three years, detention or fines, according to the amendment's 284th article. Extreme violations of the rule against cheating will lead to jail time of three to seven years and a concurrent fine. Taking a test for someone or asking someone to take a test for oneself will lead to detention, surveillance, or separate or concurrent fines.