Smuggling of fossils of ancient vertebrate animals and ancient men is expected to face fixed-term imprisonment or even death penalty in China.
   
China's top legislature on Saturday started to discuss a draft judicial interpretation on Criminal Law applications in smuggling, destroying, illegal selling and transferring fossils of ancient vertebrate animals and ancient men.
   
The fossils will be put under protection as same as cultural relics in China, if the judicial interpretation is approved at the 19th session of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC), which is held in Beijing from December 24 to 29.
   
The Criminal Law of China stipulates that smuggling, theft, destroying, illegal selling and transferring cultural relics will face imprisonment or even death penalty if the case is very serious.
   
An Jian, vice director of the Commission of Legislative Affairs of the NPC Standing Committee, said that in judicial practice, there are different understandings on whether the provisions on cultural relics in the Criminal Law also apply to fossils of ancient vertebrate animals and ancient men.
   
Therefore, the Supreme People's Court and other related departments suggested the NPC Standing Committee make judicial interpretation on it, An said.
   
A large number of ancient animal fossils have been smuggled out of China in recent years. The judicial interpretation is expected to check the problem, said some experts.

(Xinhua News Agency December 25, 2005)