Chinese music student convicted in US of harassing person over democracy leaflet
- Xiaolei Wu, 25, sent activist online messages saying he would chop off her hands
- Stalking and threatening charges each carry a sentence of up to five years in prison
A Chinese citizen who is a student at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, was convicted on Thursday of threatening a person who posted a flier in support of democracy in China, authorities said.
The flier that was posted near the Berklee College of Music campus in Boston on October 22 read: “Stand with Chinese People”, and other statements including: “We Want Freedom” and “We Want Democracy”, the US Attorney’s Office in Boston said in a news release.
In response, Xiaolei Wu, 26, threatened to chop off the person’s hands; reported their family to China’s public security agency; asked others to find out where the person was living, and publicly posted the person’s email address, the release said.
The person who posted the flier is a permanent US resident originally from China who has family members still living there, the Attorney’s Office said.
Wu was convicted of one count of stalking and one count of interstate transmissions of threatening communication. Each charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to US$250,000.
Wu’s lawyer did not respond to an email requesting comment.
“No one in this country should ever be subjected to threats of violence or a cyberstalking harassment campaign for expressing their political views,” Acting United States Attorney Joshua S Levy said in a statement.
“Mr Wu now stands as a convicted felon for his illegal efforts to suppress speech by a fellow Berklee School of Music student who was critical of the government of China. This type of conduct will never be tolerated.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
