(September 14, 1959)
To the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress:
On the occasion of celebrating the tenth anniversary of the founding of the great People's Republic of China, a special amnesty shall be granted to a number of war criminals, counter-revolutionary criminals, and ordinary criminal offenders who have truly reformed themselves and turned to good. Our country's socialist revolution and socialist construction have achieved great victories. Our motherland is thriving and flourishing, production and construction are developing vigorously, and the people's livelihood is improving day by day. The people's democratic dictatorship is unprecedentedly consolidated and strong. The political consciousness and organizational level of the people across the nation have reached unprecedented heights, and the country's political and economic situation is extremely favorable. The policy implemented by the Party and the People's Government of combining punishment with leniency and combining labor reform with ideological education toward counter-revolutionaries and other criminals has already yielded great achievements. The majority of the various criminals in custody have undergone reform to varying degrees, and many have truly reformed themselves and turned to good. In light of this situation, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China deems it appropriate, on the occasion of celebrating the tenth anniversary of the founding of the great People's Republic of China, to proclaim a special amnesty for a number of war criminals, counter-revolutionary criminals, and ordinary criminal offenders who have truly reformed themselves and turned to good. Adopting this measure will be more conducive to turning negative factors into positive ones, and will have a significant educational effect on the continued reform of these criminals and other criminals still in custody. It will make them feel that under our great socialist system, as long as they reform themselves and turn to good, they all have their own future.
The above proposal is hereby submitted, and a corresponding resolution is requested.
September 14, 1959

[I]
This was a proposal put forward by Mao Zedong in the name of the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China at the Ninth Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Second National People's Congress.