A child stands in front of martyrs statues inside Martyrs Memorial in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. (Photo: Xinhua)

Beijing (People's Daily) - China’s top legislative body ratified the second draft of the Heroes and Martyrs Protection Law on April 27, which would punish those that insult or slander heroes and martyrs and to promote the spirit of heroic martyrs and patriotism. The law will enter into effect on May 1.

Here are four key points of the law:

September 30 of each year is to be the Martyrs' Day of Remembrance: The state will hold a commemorative ceremony before the People's Heroes' Memorial in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on September 30 every year, to cherish the memory of heroes and martyrs.

The state is to establish memorial facilities to commemorate and cherish the memory of heroes and martyrs: As actual conditions allow, the State Council and local people's governments at the county level or above shall include the establishment of heroes and martyrs' memorial facilities in the citizens' economic and social development plans, strengthen preservation and management of heroes and martyrs' memorial facilities, and verify that heroes and martyrs' memorial facilities that have important significance for memorializing or for education shall be declared cultural preservation units.

The state encourages and supports the study of the deeds and spirits of the heroic martyrs, guiding understanding and recounting history through dialectical materialism and historical materialism: All levels of the people's government and relevant departments of the military shall organize and carry out research, compilation and promotion of heroes and martyrs' historical materials, strengthen collection, protection, and displaying of historical materials and relics.

The state is to implement systems for rewards in praise of honors and for bereavement benefits and preferential treatment: Martyrs' survivors are to enjoy the reward in honor of the martyr and bereavement benefits in accordance with state provisions. The relevant local people's government shall, in accordance with the relevant national provisions, give preferential treatment to the survivors of martyrs in areas such as education, employment, eldercare, housing, and medicine.

According to the new law, there are the types of behaviors that will be punished:

To distort, disparage, discredit or deny the deeds and spirit of heroes and martyrs: The names, images, reputation, and honor of heroes and martyrs are protected by law. The names, images, reputations and honor of heroes and martyrs must not be insulted, defamed, or violated through other means by any person, either in public or through radio, television, newspapers, books, the internet, and so forth. The names and images of heroes and martyrs must not be used or covertly used as trademarks or commercial advertisements.

To promote and beautify war and acts of aggression: Those who deny the deeds and spirit of heroes and martyrs, promote and beautify war and acts of aggression, disrupt public order, and violate the rules of public security management shall receive punishment from public security organs in accordance with law.

To damage or vandalize heroes and martyrs' memorial facilities: Those occupying, damaging, or vandalizing heroes and martyrs' memorial facilities are to be ordered to make corrections by the civil affairs departments of the people's governments at the county level or above, and will bear civil liability for restoring them to their original condition or pay for losses in accordance with law; and where the occupied, damaged, or vandalized memorial facility is a cultural preservation unit, punishment is in accordance with the "People's Republic of China Law on Protection of Cultural Artifacts."

To damage the environment and atmosphere of commemorating heroes and martyrs: Any organization or individual shall not be engaged in activities that undermine the environment and atmosphere of commemorating heroes and martyrs within the protection scope of the memorial facilities. They shall not invade or damage the land and facilities either.

The protection of heroes and martyrs to be insufficient: Where the staff of relevant departments of the people's governments at the county level or above have abused their powers, misused their duty or twisted the law for personal gain, disciplinary action shall be lawfully taken against directly responsible managers and other directly responsible personnel; and where a crime is constituted, criminal responsibility is pursued in accordance with law.