VIII. Measures to uphold and defend the statutes

Article 50

Upholding and defending the provisions of the Statutes is the responsibility of every member, organisation and body of the CPG.
Party members, cadres, organisations and bodies which violate the Statutes are subject to the following disciplinary penalties, according to the offence:
Notice
Centure
Warning of expulsion
Expulsion from the Party.
For serious offences by cadres in leading bodies, the body itself may impose the penalty of removal from office.

Article 51

Undermining Party unity, attempting to create groups or groupings, and violating the rules for safeguarding the Party are punished severely, with penalties including expulsion from the Party.
Refusal to carry out Party decisions and other actions which damage the Party’s interests and violate Party discipline shall result in party sanctions which may, according to the seriousness of the actions involved, include expulsion.
Members whose actions and conduct are not compatible with membership in the Party must certainly be expelled, in particular members who betray the Party to the class enemy, to the Security Police, under interrogation, in the courts; members who misappropriate funds belonging to the Party or to other organisations in which they represent the Party, as well as members whose behaviour and conduct is incompatible with the requirements of Party loyalty and ethics.
Likewise expelled from the Party is the member who, without due reason, has not paid his dues for more than six consecutive months.

Article 52

A member is also cut off from his organisational relationship with the Party either when he withdraws, or is constantly absent without due reason from Party activities. In such cases, the BO removes the person’s name from its membership.

Article 53

The BOs and all Party Conferences and bodies have the right to impose penalties.
To expel a person from the Party requires a decision from the BO assembly, which decision is enforced after being ratified by the immediately higher body.
If necessary, the expulsion decision may be published in the Party press.
The Conferences and bodies higher than the BOs can submit proposals for expulsions to the BOs. In exceptional cases, the Central Committee may decide to expel a Party member. This right is used for serious reasons in the case of Party members whose field of responsibility extends beyond the limits of the BO to which they belong.

Article 54

When the Statutes are violated by an entire organisation or leading body, then the penalty imposed by the immediately higher Party bodies may include dissolution of that organisation or body, to be followed by its reconstitution. For such a decision to be implemented requires approval by the Central Committee.

Article 55

The decision to impose any penalty whatsoever, and particularly that of expulsion from the Party, must be taken with the greatest care, and there must be verification of whether the charges laid are in fact well grounded.
No penalty or sanction shall be imposed on any member whatsoever if he is not informed of the charges against him and without giving him the opportunity to express and support his view before the body or Conference discussing his case.
No Party member will face repercussions for personal views expressed within the framework of the Statutes.

Article 56

Every Party member who considers that the penalty imposed on him is unjust or excessive has the right to register an objection with the higher party bodies, up to the Central Committee, the Party Control Committee and the Party congress.
The penalties may be re-examined by the Conferences or bodies that imposed them, or by the higher bodies and the Central Committee.