washington —
A Chinese student has been arrested by the FBI in Boston and charged in federal court with one count of stalking after allegedly harassing a fellow Chinese student who had posted fliers declaring support for pro-democracy protesters in China.
Wu Xiaolei, 25, a Chinese citizen and a student at the Berklee College of Music, was arrested and charged Wednesday. He is accused of sending messages via WeChat, email and Instagram on October 22-24 to a classmate who had posted fliers that read “Stand with Chinese People” and “We Want Freedom,” according to the charging documents cited by the for the District of Massachusetts.
The poster’s sentiments, which included, “We want food on our tables. We want to breathe. We want art. We want democracy. We want to love,” echoed those written on banners hung in Beijing by Peng Lifa, 48, on October 13, criticizing Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the country's zero-COVID policy as the city prepared for the 20th congress of the Chinese Communist Party.
Chinese authorities detained the Beijing protester and attempted to scrub any mention of his actions from social media. Chinese students enrolled in overseas universities expressed their support for him by putting up posters demanding democracy and freedom. Other students, thought to be a common nickname for China’s young pro-government nationalists, have been tearing them down.
Wu, who appeared in federal court Wednesday, allegedly told his classmate, “Post more, I will chop your bastard hands off,” according to the release from the U.S. attorney.
It said Wu “also allegedly told the victim that he had informed the public security agency in China about the victim’s actions and that the public security agency in China would ‘greet’ the victim’s family. It is further alleged that Wu solicited others to find out where the victim was living and publicly posted the victim’s email address in the hopes that others would abuse the victim online.”
Wu was released “on conditions” that were not specified by the U.S. attorney or in court documents.
Andrew Kirk, the FBI agent who investigated the case, is assigned to a national security squad that focuses on counterintelligence and foreign influence operations. In his , which refers to the alleged victim as Individual 1, he said “greet” was “a reference to beginning an investigation into the political loyalty of Individual 1’s family … into their political loyalty.”
In the affidavit, Kirk said, “I know that Berklee College interviewed Wu about this message. Wu admitted to sending the message.”
According to the affidavit, Wu tried to obtain the woman’s personal information from the school’s IT staff and admitted to Berklee’s Office of Community Standards and Conflict Resolution he knew it was illegal. He also admitted to harassing the classmate in order to intimidate her so she would stop putting up the posters. Wu stated that he had no sympathy for the woman because he believed she had betrayed China and that what she did was criminal in China.
VOA Mandarin contacted the Chinese Embassy in Washington and the Chinese Consulate in New York City, which is the contact for Chinese students in Massachusetts, for comment on Wu’s arrest but did not receive a reply from either one.
U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins on Wednesday said, “The Department of Justice will always defend the right to engage in free speech and political expression. We allege that Mr. Wu’s threatening and harassing behavior was not free speech. Rather, it was an attempt to silence and intimidate the activist’s expressed views dissenting of the PRC.” China’s official name is the People’s Republic of China.
Rollins added, “Freedom of speech is a constitutional right here in the United States and we will protect and defend it at all costs.”
Joseph Bonavolonta, who heads the FBI’s Boston Division, called Wu’s alleged actions “incredibly disturbing.” He said Wu was accused of “repeatedly threatening and infringing on the rights of a civic activist who spoke out against the ruling Communist Party of China. We believe Mr. Wu stalked, harassed and reported the victim’s support for democracy to law enforcement in the People’s Republic of China so it would launch an investigation into the victim and her family.”
Wu is being represented by an attorney from the federal public defender’s office in Boston. VOA Mandarin contacted the office for comment but did not receive a response.