These cases highlight what American officials call China’s increasingly aggressive attempts to silence, threaten and seek out pro-democracy activists overseas.
“Authoritarian countries around the globe feel empowered to reach beyond borders to intimidate and exact reprisals against individuals that dare speak out against oppression or corruption,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department, stated at a news conference, announcing three criminal charges.
He said, “This activity is antithetical fundamental American values.” “When it violates our laws, we will not tolerate such repression.”
In Brooklyn federal court, the criminal cases are filed against dissidents for allegedly conspiring to intimidate, harass, and silence their speech. This is not the first time that the Justice Department has brought criminal charges for similar conduct. In 2020, eight people were charged with working for the Chinese government in an effort to coerce a New Jersey man into going to China.
Two New York men working under the direction of an employee at a China-based technology company attempted to spy on pro-democracy activists. They also sought to illegally obtain the federal tax returns of dissidents and plotted to destroy artworks of dissident artists. The Justice Department stated that a sculpture of Chinese President Xi Jinping with a coronavirus molecule in it was destroyed last year. However, no one has been arrested for the vandalism.
Fan “Frank” Liu and Matthew Ziburis were both arrested Tuesday on charges of conspiring to commit interstate harassing and criminal use a means for identification. At a court appearance, Liu’s lawyer argued that his client was not an imminent flight risk and he was released on $1 million bail with electronic monitoring. Ziburis was released with a $500,000 bond.
Qiang “Jason”, a third man who, according to prosecutors, tasked the other men, is still at large
Officials in the United States claim that another plot was orchestrated by China’s Ministry of State Security. An author who helped to start a pro democracy organization collected intelligence for sharing with the Chinese government on dissidents and activists.
Shujun Wang (73), was taken into custody Wednesday. He was later released on a $300,000. bond. The defense lawyer did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Another scheme was devised by an alleged Chinese government operative. It aimed to subvert the candidacy for a congressional candidate. He plotted to locate or manufacture derogatory information that could stop him being elected.
Qiming Lin is the operative accused of asking a private investigator for information about the candidate’s address, phone number and vehicle. Later, he asked the investigator to “digest things from 1989 to now” to find flaws that could have derail his candidacy.
According to the charging documents, Lin said that Lin once told the private investigator that “violence would also be fine” and suggested that the candidate be defeated “until the election is over.”
Lin was in fact contacted by a source for FBI. He reported Lin’s initial outreach to the bureau, and stated that he believed Lin to have been a retired MSS agent. An FBI agent who was conducting the investigation stated that LIN continued to act for the MSS despite being ostensibly retired.
According to court papers, the candidate is described as a Chinese dissident who was a student leader in 1989’s Tiananmen Square protests. Although the candidate is not named in the complaint the biographical details of the document match Yan Xiong’s. Yan Xiong announced last fall that he would be running for a Democrat congressional seat in this election.
Lin is still at large and faces interstate harassment charges, officials stated.
Breon Peace, Brooklyn’s top federal prosecutor, wouldn’t discuss any conversations with Yan but stated that the Justice Department takes seriously its obligation to notify victims of possible threats. He said that “when it comes to acts de violence”, he stated, “our office was not going to allow that to happen.”
Yan, who has been living in the U.S. since 1983, stated in an interview with The Associated Press he didn’t know anything about the allegations. He learned about them Wednesday after reporters reached him.
He claimed he hadn’t been intimidated or harassed and was not contacted by the FBI and Justice Department. He also said that he didn’t know why the Chinese government would be interested to his campaign for Congress.
“This has nothing whatsoever to do with them. He said that he couldn’t understand why they did this. He said, “I’m getting mad.” They are not my friends. “I am a pure American citizen.”
