(CRI)       China says that its crackdown on the criminal activities of the Falungong cult is a lawful action and is in the spirit of human rights protection.

Chinese delegate Liu Jing answered questions about Falungong Thursday at the ongoing 56th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

Liu Jing said that Falungong is a heretic cult, which has claimed the lives of 1,500 people and resulted in a great number of family tragedies. The banning of Falungong is what a responsible government should do to protect the human rights of all people, including Falungong practitioners and their family members.

Liu Jing pointed out that certain Western countries and non-governmental organizations are turning a blind eye to the social damage Falungong has done and making groundless accusations against China ?based on fabricated lies.

He said that to label as a human rights violation the crackdown on a heretic cult that itself violates human rights, was an outrageous ridicule of human rights and a practice that should be condemned by the international community.