Cult members stand trial in east China  

招远杀人案庭审3被告拒不认罪 称系正当防卫

Five cult members face trial at the Intermediate People's Court of Yantai in east China's Shandong province on 8:00 am, on Thursday, August 21, 2014. (Photo/ CRIENGLISH.com)

Five cult members stood trial Thursday on murder charges at Yantai Intermediate People's Court in east China's Shandong province.

Zhang Fan, Zhang Lidong, Lyu Yingchun, Zhang Hang and Zhang Qiaolian were indicted for murder, while Zhang Fan, Zhang Lidong and Lyu Yingchun were also charged with breaching law enforcement by cult activities.

Zhang Hang and Zhang Qiaolian confessed and expressed regret in court.

According to the indictment, Zhang Fan, Zhang Lidong and Lyu Yingchun should be handed down combined punishments for several offenses.

A woman surnamed Wu was beaten to death on May 28 at a McDonald's outlet in Zhaoyuan City, Shandong, after she refused to give her cell phone number to the suspects, who were allegedly trying to recruit new members for the quannengshen (almighty god) cult.

First coming to light in the 1990s in central China's Henan province, quannengshen claims that Jesus has been resurrected as Yang Xiangbin, wife of the sect's founder Zhao Weishan, also known as Xu Wenshan. The couple fled to the United States in September 2000.

The sect has been widely criticized for using rumors to confuse people and coercing others to join the cult. In late October and early November 1998, numerous robberies and assaults connected with the cult were reported over 12 days in Henan's Tanghe County, with victims' limbs broken and ears cut off.

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.