Congressman John Moolenaar Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP | Official Website
Congressman John Moolenaar Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP | Official Website
Chairman John Moolenaar and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party have taken steps to address concerns about the safety of a Chinese dissident, Li Yang, residing in Italy. In a letter sent to Italian Ambassador Mariangela Zappia, they urged increased protection for Li Yang, who gained recognition for sharing uncensored content from China during the White Paper protests and stringent COVID-19 lockdowns.
The letter detailed the challenges faced by Li, stating: “As Li’s influence expanded, he became a target of severe harassment. He has received death threats and faced coordinated smear campaigns aimed at discrediting him. His PRC financial accounts have been frozen, and his parents have been placed under extreme scrutiny. Ministry of State Security officials have visited his parents' home in Fuyang City, pressuring his family for information about his whereabouts, threatening to block their pensions unless he ceases his online activities and returns to the PRC, and installing surveillance cameras outside their house. These tactics are unacceptable.”
Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi emphasized that such actions violate sovereignty and threaten human rights: “These actions represent a clear violation of the sovereignty of every country in which they are employed and pose a grave threat to the human rights and personal freedoms both our countries so greatly value. Together, we must ensure that free countries remain a haven for the persecuted, rather than a target for authoritarian regimes."
They called for prompt measures to safeguard Li's well-being: "In this spirit, and with grave concern for the safety of Li, we ask you to take quick and decisive steps to protect Li Ying and work with the United States to ensure transnational repression is not tolerated in either of our societies."
The letter also mentioned incidents involving suspicious behavior towards Li Yang, including graffiti with threatening messages.
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