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Chinese Cult Members to be Executed for Beating Death at McDonald's

A Chinese court sentenced a father and daughter to death Saturday after the pair violently beat and killed a woman in a McDonald's restaurant.
Photo via Flickr

A Chinese court sentenced a father and daughter associated with a banned religious cult to death Saturday, after the pair violently beat and killed a woman in a McDonald's restaurant for apparently shunning an attempt to recruit her to the group.

Zhang Lidong and his daughter Zhang Fan are accused of bludgeoning and killing a 47-year-old woman on May 28 at a McDonald's in Zhaoyuan city in Shandong province, Chinese state-run news media reported.

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A fellow cult member and accomplice, Lyu Yingchun, was also sentenced to life in prison, while two relatives of the Zhangs, Zhang Qiaolian and Zhang Hang, were handed seven and 10 years in jail respectively, the official Xinhua news agency said.

All five are members of the Quannengshen ("Almighty God") cult, which preached the end of the world in 2012 and believes that the wife of founder Zhao Weishan is the reincarnation of Jesus, Xinhua previously reported. Both the founder of the group and his wife, Yang Xiangbin, fled to the US in September 2000.

The victim, identified only by her surname, Wu, had apparently refused to give the group her phone number shortly before the incident. A court statement said cult members then accused her of being an "evil spirit," according to state media.

Zhang Fan then grabbed a chair, knocked Wu to the floor and began trampling her face and head, the statement said. Zhang Lidong took a mop to Wu, which broke during the assault, and also joined in stomping her head, while Lyu kicked the victim in the hips and waist and stopped restaurant staff from stepping in.

Video:Cult members sentenced to death in E China — China Xinhua News (@XHNews)October 11, 2014

Lyu first became a member of Quannengshen in 1998 and began preaching and recruiting for the cult in 2008, the same year Zhang Fan met Lyu on the Internet and began attending group meetings in Zhaoyuan, according to Xinhua.

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Zhang's family soon converted to the cult and began distributing leaflets and spreading cult "propaganda" on blogs at home and abroad, the court statement said. Zhang Lidong also allegedly bought a number of storefronts and apartments to host cult gatherings, as well as vehicles, computers and cell phones to "spread cult information."

The statement also said that Lyu and Zhang Fan encouraged Zhang Lidong to deposit more than 10 million Yuan (equivalent to over $1.63 million in US dollars) of personal money into the pair's joint bank account listed as a "donation to the church."

Lyu has ruled out appealing his sentence. The others have not yet confirmed whether they will appeal, state media said.

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Since 2012, China has tamped down on Quannengshen, which predicted the global apocalypse that same year and called for members to slay the "Red Dragon" Communist Party, according to Reuters.

The state also claims the group is also associated with a spate of robberies and assaults over a period of 12 days in 1998 Henan's Tanghe County, involving cutting off the ears of victims and breaking their limbs.

The number of cults has increased in recent years as the Chinese government has sought to crack down on challenges to social order and governance.

"According to Chinese law, a cult is an illegal organization that tries to control people by deifying the sect leader, deludes members under the guise of religion, and engages in activities that harm society," state media said.

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The Falun Gong religious group — a moderate spiritual discipline that incorporates elements of Buddhism and Taoism — was labeled as an "evil cult" in 1999 after thousands of members staged a peaceful sit-in outside the government compound in Beijing seeking official recognition of their group, according to Reuters. Former President Jiang Zemin soon after announced intentions eradicate the group.

The government has since waged similar campaigns to crush "cult" demonstrations and have in some cases executed cult leaders and members found guilty of illegal activity.

It's really not that hard for Chinese internet users to get past the "Great Firewall" of web censorship. Read more here.

Follow Liz Fields on Twitter: @lianzifields

Photo via Flickr