A Chinese citizen who is a student at Berklee College of Music on Thursday was convicted of threatening a person who posted a flyer in support of democracy in the Asian nation, authorities said.
The flyer that was posted near the Berklee College of Music campus in Boston on Oct. 22, 2022, 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 statement.
In response, Wu Xiaolei (吳嘯雷), 26, threatened to chop off the person’s hands; reported their family to the Chinese Public Security Bureau; asked others to find out where the person was living; and publicly posted the person’s e-mail address, the statement said.
Photo: Reuters
The person who posted the flyer is a permanent US resident originally from China who has family members still living there, the 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 e-mail 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 US Attorney Joshua 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.”
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