A Chinese former student of Berklee College of Music was handed a nine-month prison sentence on Wednesday for stalking and making threats towards an individual who had displayed a flyer in support of democracy in China.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston, a leaflet was recently posted on the campus in Boston on Oct. 22. The leaflet contained statements like “Stand with Chinese People”, “We Want Freedom”, and “We Want Democracy”.
“According to a statement by acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy, Mr. Wu’s criminal behavior is extremely grave. He exploited the fear of potential retaliation from the PRC government to intimidate and torment an innocent individual who had merely posted a harmless, pro-democracy flier on the Berklee campus. By making violent threats, Mr. Wu successfully achieved his objective of instilling fear in his target and silencing not only this courageous victim but also others who might have contemplated speaking out against the PRC government.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the individual responsible for distributing the flyer is a U.S. permanent resident from China who still has family members residing there.
In January, Wu was found guilty of stalking and sending threatening messages across state lines. U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper sentenced him to nine months in prison and three years of supervised release.
Wu’s lawyer did not reply to an email seeking a comment.
Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, expressed her concern over the actions of Xiaolei Wu. In a statement, she emphasized the severe consequences of harassing, threatening, stalking, and infringing on the constitutional rights of a fellow student. Cohen highlighted that Wu’s behavior, which involved using the authoritarian power of the People’s Republic of China to intimidate the woman solely because of her critical views on the ruling Communist Party, is deeply troubling.
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