Nearly five years ago, the US government exerted high-profile diplomatic pressure on China to secure the return of academic Gao Zhan (
Now, the Department of Homeland Security is pushing with equal vigor to have her deported back to China.
Gao's case, set for a hearing yesterday in the latest twist, became international news in February 2001 when she and her family were arrested by the Chinese on suspicion of espionage. Her husband, Xue Donghua (
The State Department protested and worked hard to secure her release. Senator. George Allen was one of many elected officials who took up her cause and introduced legislation, which ultimately failed, to grant her US citizenship in absentia.
The Chinese government put Gao on trial in July 2001, convicted her and sentenced her to prison.
But then it decided to deport her to the US instead. Gao received a hero's welcome when she returned to the US a month later.
Gao, who was born in China but has been a US resident living in McLean, Virginia, spoke out frequently against human-rights abuses in China. A naturalization ceremony was scheduled for her, but was abruptly canceled.
In 2003, in a move that shocked supporters, Gao pleaded guilty to illegally exporting more than US$1 million in military-grade computer microprocessors to a Chinese government agency. Court documents indicate that the scheme preceded her 2001 arrest in China and that Gao knew the microprocessors could be used by the Chinese military.
She struck a plea bargain that resulted in a seven-month jail sentence, plus eight months in a halfway house.
Her jail time was sharply reduced because prosecutors believed Gao had cooperated and provided useful information.
As part of the plea bargain, the Justice Department recommended to the Department of Homeland Security that it not deport Gao after she served her sentence.
Normally, such recommendations carry great weight, but in this case Homeland Security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement are ignoring the recommendation and pushing for deportation.
A hearing was scheduled yesterday to determine whether Gao is a national security risk, which would mean she would almost certainly be deported.
If no threat is found, a hearing next month would determine if Gao should be granted asylum.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS