A Chinese student in the United States has been arrested for insulting a person who was spreading fliers in support of democracy in China, the US Justice Department said today.
"A Berklee College of Music student, who is citizen of the People's Republic of China (PRC), has been arrested and charged with stalking in connection with threatening and harassing communications he allegedly made towards an individual who posted fliers in support of democracy in China," the Justice Department said in a press release.
The authorities identified the student as Xiaolei Wu, 25. He has been charged with one count of stalking and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, Massachusetts, later in the afternoon, the release added.
The Justice Department said Xiaolei has been living in Boston while attending the Berklee College of Music.
"The Department of Justice will always defend the right to engage in free speech and political expression. We allege that Wu's threatening and harassing behaviour was not free speech. Rather, it was an attempt to silence and intimidate the activist's expressed views dissenting of the PRC," said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins.
"We will not tolerate threats, harassment or any other repression attempts against those peacefully promoting their ideas, doing their jobs, or expressing their opinions. Freedom of speech is a constitutional right here in the United States and we will protect and defend it at all costs," Rollins added.
Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, Boston Division said "the FBI arrested Xiaolei Wu for repeatedly threatening and infringing on the rights of a civic activist who spoke out against the ruling Communist Party of China."
"This case also highlight's the FBI's ongoing commitment to protecting the exercise of free speech for all citizens and our efforts to bring to justice anyone who tries to infringe on those rights," he added.
The charge of stalking provides for a sentence up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to USD 250,000.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Preparations For 'Bahuda Yatra' Of Lord Jagannath Underway
Trump's Running Mate JD Vance Calls UK "Truly Islamist State With Nuclear Weapons" "When Trump Was President, Putin Did No Invasions, Wars": Nikki Haley Biden Weighing Proposals To Reform US Supreme Court? Details Inside 25,000 Aspirants For Airport Jobs Paying Rs 22,000: A Mumbai Stampede Scare 4 Top Leaders Quit Ajit Pawar's Party In Major Setback After Poll Drubbing Karnataka's 100% Quota Bill For Kannadigas In Private Firms For These Posts UGC-NET June 2024: City Slips For Exams From July 25-27 Released MCom, BBA, BCom: The Many Aspirants For Handyman's Job At Mumbai Airport Why Donald Trump Picked JD Vance As His Vice President Candidate Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.