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Death for SARS spreaders: China
BEIJING, China -- China has threatened to execute or jail for life anyone who deliberately spreads the killer SARS virus. Meanwhile in the first known arrest on charges of infecting others, a doctor carrying SARS was detained for allegedly breaking quarantine and starting an outbreak that infected more than 100 people in northern China. The warning of execution by China's Supreme Court, reported by the official Xinhua News Agency, appeared to be an effort to force compliance with quarantines and other restrictions. China's harsh interpretation of its laws on contagious disease comes after reports people were violating quarantine orders or refusing to admit to the symptoms. The warning on Thursday said people who violate quarantines and spread the virus can be imprisoned for up to seven years, Xinhua reported. Those who cause death or serious injury by "deliberately spreading" the virus can be sentenced to prison terms of 10 years to life or could face execution. Human rights groups said the punishment, laid down by the Supreme Court and the chief prosecutor, was not approved by China's parliament and violated human rights convenants. "The measure is too extreme and the punishment too heavy," Hong Kong-based rights activist Frank Lu told Reuters by telephone. As China takes more draconian actions to tackle the virus, authorities in the northern Chinese city of Linha are preparing to charge Dr. Li Song with violating China's infectious disease law, a police official told The Associated Press. The doctor was to be charged under a law that has a maximum sentence of three years, and it was not immediately clear if the tougher penalties would apply to him. Chinese authorities frequently threaten harsh punishments, including possible execution, during emergencies. A health official for the region surrounding Linhe said Li was infected with SARS while attending a training program at a Bameng Hospital in Beijing, but returned to Linhe after receiving only basic treatment in the capital. Li infected family members and the virus eventually spread to 102 people, including 23 medical staff, said one official. Li escaped with his wife from their isolation ward quarantine quarters, Chen said. He said the two were caught hours later wandering city streets and returned to hospital. After his father died of SARS, Li forbade workers to remove the body, attacked doctors and nurses and smashed hospital equipment, Chen said. Bameng Hospital officials declined to answer questions about the case. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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