"Yuanjun Tang, 68, had long been an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party, joining monthly protests outside the country's Manhattan consulate and founding a pro-democracy nonprofit in Flushing, Queens, where he has lived since 2002. But as he publicly advocated against his homeland's government, Tang was quietly acting on orders from Beijing's intelligence service to collect information on his fellow Chinese American activists, according to a guilty plea entered Tuesday."
"An emailed inquiry to his attorney was not returned. "Tang's betrayal of the ideals of the US to help the Chinese government repress pro-democracy activists goes against the very values he claimed to promote," FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said in a statement. At the direction of a Chinese intelligence officer, Tang agreed to photograph and record local protests against China, including a 2023 event in Manhattan dedicated to victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre, according to court documents."
Yuanjun Tang pleaded guilty to spying on fellow Chinese American activists on behalf of Chinese intelligence. Tang participated in monthly protests outside China's Manhattan consulate and founded a pro-democracy nonprofit in Flushing, Queens. Federal prosecutors allege Tang accepted assignments to gain approval to visit family in China. At the direction of a Chinese intelligence officer, Tang photographed and recorded local protests, including a 2023 Tiananmen Square massacre memorial in Manhattan, and provided a list of immigration attorneys assisting dissidents. Tang was granted U.S. asylum in 2002 after escaping to Taiwan from a Chinese prison where he served 12 years for Tiananmen-related protests.
Read at AP News
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