BOSTON — A former Berklee College of Music student from China was sentenced Wednesday to nine months in prison for stalking and threatening a person who posted a pro-democracy flyer in the Asian country, authorities announced. .
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston, a flyer posted on the Boston campus on Oct. 22 said, “Stand up with the Chinese,” along with other phrases such as “We want freedom” and “We want democracy.” It is said that the following words were written on it.
In response, prosecutors said, Xiaolei Wu, 26, threatened to cut off the person’s hand, reported the family to Chinese public security authorities, asked others to find out where the person lived, and sent e-mails. The address was made public.
via Reuters
“Mr. Wu’s criminal conduct is extremely serious. He used fear of possible retaliation from the Chinese government to harass and harass innocent individuals who posted harmless pro-democracy leaflets on the Berkeley campus.” intimidation,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said in a statement. “Mr. Wu’s violent threats achieved the goal of silencing and instilling fear in this brave victim and others who sought to speak out against the Chinese government.”
The person who posted the flyer is a U.S. permanent resident from China, and his family still lives in China, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Wu was found guilty in January of one count of stalking and one count of interstate threatening communication.
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U.S. District Judge Dennis Casper sentenced him to nine months in prison, plus three years of supervised release.
Wu’s lawyer did not respond to an email requesting comment.
“Today, Xiaolei Wu was harassed, threatened, stalked, and denied the constitutional rights of other students simply because she was critical of the Chinese Communist Party,” said FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Jody Cohen. “We have learned that there are serious consequences for breaches.” the department said in a statement. “It is deeply disturbing that Mr. Wu used the People’s Republic of China’s authoritarian nature as a weapon to intimidate this woman.”
