The ashes of martyr Chen Xiangrong are buried in Pingnan Martyrs Cemetery, East China’s Fujian Province, and flowers cover the front of the martyrs’ monument. Photo: VCG

 China’s draft law on protecting the rights and interests of soldiers has made it clear that no groups or individuals are allowed to defame or slander military service members, according to media reports on Monday.

The draft soldier protection law, which was submitted for its second review to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), asked for protection of the reputation of military personnel, according to the Xinhua News Agency on Monday.

It also suggests that the honor retained by the soldiers should be enjoyed for a lifetime, said the report.

China passed the protection law for heroes and martyrs in 2018 in order to protect the interests of those who have sacrificed their lives for the country. 

The 2018 protection law also has regulated that any individuals or groups who defamed or slandered martyrs’ names, portraits or reputation would be punished and held criminally responsible for their behavior.

Several cases concerning defamation and slander against martyrs in China have occurred in the last few years.

A 63-year-old man was 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. 

The police detained seven netizens aged 19 to 40 across China in February for defaming the martyrs who sacrificed their lives to defend China's territory in the Galwan Valley confrontation with India in 2020.

Global Times