 In November 1999 , the Supreme People 's Court offered a judicial interpretation of article 300 of the criminal code , stating that Falun Gong should be regarded as a " xie jiao , " or cult . Large numbers were subsequently sentenced to long prison terms , often under article 300 , in what are typically very short trials without the presence of a lawyer . In 2009 alone , the Falun Dafa Information Center reported that several hundred Falun Gong adherents have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 18 years . Human rights groups , including Amnesty International , note that the application of the law to persecute Falun Gong adherents contravenes both China 's own constitution and international standards . Several Weiquan lawyers have argued similarly while defending Falun Gong adherents who face criminal or administrative sentencing for their beliefs . Lawyers who have defended Falun Gong include Guo Guoting , Zhang Kai and Li Chunfu , Wang Yonghang , Tang Jitian and Liu Wei , among others . 
