cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/12184716
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Italy’s Public Prosecutor in Milan has now officially closed investigations against ten individuals suspected of stalking, surveilling, pressuring and threatening Li Ying, the famous Chinese dissident-influencer better known under his handle Teacher Li is not your Teacher. The end of the years-long investigations conducted by the specialized Digos police in Turin opens the door to a request for trial against the suspects.
The ten suspects – who have not yet been charged - are all accused of acting on behalf of Chinese authorities with the aim of silencing Li.
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Among the suspects, some familiar names. One in particular as Corriere della Sera reports: Wang Songqiang – who we described in our exposé on the transnational repression activities against Li Ying in 2024 – would have “acted on behalf of the Chinese police and maintained close contact with diplomatic staff and certain members of the United Front Work Department”.
[The united front, officially named the patriotic united front,[a] is a political strategy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) involving networks of groups and key individuals that are influenced or controlled by the CCP and used to advance its interests.]
Wang has long had a leadership role in various Fujianese united front affiliated groups across Italy, including in Milan. Another suspect is Zhengang Liu, chairman of the same Italian Fujian Overseas Chinese Business Federation Wang is linked to. A third suspect, Jianbin Zhao, would have recruited other individuals to engage in the stalking of Li Ying via WeChat.
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According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the purpose of the group was to suppress “communications regarding the situation in their home country” and to obstruct “the exercise of the right to freedom of expression”.
Earlier this year, Italy had expelled eight Chinese nationals from Schengen territory on national security grounds for their involvement in the same case.
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