Specifically, 429 out of 439 deputies present at the sitting, or 89.75 percent of the total number of deputies, voted in favor.
The law amends 38 articles and adds one new article on the crime of illegal use of narcotics. It abolishes the death penalty for eight criminal offenses: the crime aimed at overthrowing the people’s government; the crime of sabotaging state infrastructure and technical facilities; the crime of producing and trading counterfeit medicines for treatment and prevention; the crime of destroying peace and causing aggressive war; the crime of espionage; the crime of illegally transporting narcotics; embezzlement; and bribe-taking.
It also includes a transitional provision: death sentences pronounced before July 1 for persons convicted of the above eight crimes but not yet executed shall no longer be carried out. The Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court will decide to convert the death sentence to life imprisonment.
The new law, which becomes effective on July 1, also increases the minimum prison sentences for several offenses related to the environment, food safety, and drugs, while doubling the fines for crimes related to the environment and the production and trading of counterfeit goods such as food, food additives, medicines for treatment and prevention, animal feed, fertilizers, veterinary drugs, pesticides, plant varieties, livestock breeds, and food safety, as well as corruption-related crimes.
