Chinese guy threatens a student activist; US convicts him

A Chinese student who stalked and threatened a female Chinese student who had posted pro-democracy flyers on campus received a nine-month jail term in the US.

Posters at Boston's Berklee College of Music in late 2022 said, "We demand freedom... We want democracy, love, and solidarity with the Chinese people."

Xiaolei Wu responded by threatening to "chop [the woman's] hands off".

Following the 26-year-old's completion of his term, a federal court has ordered his deportation.

Jodi Cohen, head of the FBI's Boston Division that looked into the matter, described what Mr. Wu did as "extremely disturbing," as he used the People's Republic of China's autocratic government to threaten this lady.

Late in October 2022, a burst of agitation among Chinese expatriates led to the posting of the pro-democracy flyers.

Worldwide anti-Xi Jinping placards read, "I'm in Australia, but I feel like Chinese students are censoring me," as a tribute to China's "Bridge Man."

The court heard that Wu, who attended the institution to study jazz, had direct contact with his victim via WeChat, Instagram, and email.

According to the US Attorney's Office in Massachusetts on Wednesday, he assured her that he had reported her acts to Chinese authorities and that the Chinese public security agency would "greet" the victim's family.

According to the police, he also made an effort to locate her and made her email address public "in the hopes that others would abuse the victim online."

December 2022 saw Wu face charges.

Acting US Attorney Joshua S. Levy said that Wu's "violent threats achieved his goal of instilling fear" in his victim and anyone who may desire to speak out against the Chinese government during his conviction in January of this year.

The Department of Justice and our office will not put up with attempts to threaten and intimidate individuals in order to deny them their First Amendment rights. This place will never accept tyranny or censorship," he said.

Cyberstalking is a crime that carries a maximum five-year jail term, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 (£202,000) in the United States.

The accusation of interstate dissemination of threatening messages carries the same consequences.