Italian prosecutors target China-linked network accused of tracking dissident

Italian prosecutors have wrapped up ​an investigation into a network they say is linked to Chinese authorities ‌and ​spent years tracking, intimidating and harassing a prominent Italy-based critic of Beijing.

The case centres on Li Ying, better known as "Teacher Li", an artist who has lived in Italy since 2015 and whose @whyyoutouzhele X account is a popular source of uncensored news about China. With 2.2 million followers, Li posts videos, photographs and accounts sent ‌to him by people inside China, often documenting protests and other politically sensitive events that receive little or no coverage in tightly controlled Chinese media.

In a document seen by Reuters, Milan prosecutors informed 10 suspects - eight Chinese nationals and two Italian citizens - on October 23 that their investigation was complete and gave them a final opportunity to respond before possible trial. The document offers a rare, detailed glimpse of what the prosecutors said was a coordinated effort ‌to monitor and intimidate a Chinese government critic overseas.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said China was governed by the rule of law. "There is no such thing as 'transnational repression'," a spokesperson said, adding that China attached "great ‌importance to safeguarding the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens abroad". The Ministry of Public Security did not respond to queries. 'RELENTLESS HARASSMENT'

Li, who rose to prominence during protests against China's strict COVID-19 controls in 2022, welcomed the investigation. He said he, his family and followers had been subjected "to relentless harassment and threats" for years because of his efforts to share "true stories" about ordinary Chinese people.

"I am therefore glad to see this case move forward and most grateful to the investigators," he told Reuters in a statement. Prosecutors ⁠launched the investigation ​after Li filmed through the peephole in his door a ⁠man spray-painting "stupro", Italian for "rape", on a wall next to his flat in Turin in October 2024.

Investigators say they unearthed systematic surveillance, with the suspects repeatedly visiting homes where Li was thought to live, photographing entrances, monitoring buildings from nearby cafes, searching rubbish bins, gathering information ⁠from residents and tracking his movements. Prosecutors say one suspect amassed more than 4,000 photographs and 35 videos connected to the stakeouts.

Li also received death threats through social media and email, including messages saying "I will cut off your head" and "we will punish ​you", accompanied by images of assault rifles, pistols and a bayonet, the case documents show. ALLEGED CONTACTS WITH CHINESE POLICE

Two alleged ringleaders are accused of acting on behalf of Chinese police while maintaining ⁠contacts with Chinese diplomats and members of the official United Front Work Department, a group dedicated to propagating the goals of the Communist Party abroad. The pair, along with two others, are accused of belonging to a criminal association "with the aim of preventing (Chinese dissidents) from communicating ... and exercising their ⁠right ​to freedom of expression" -- a charge that carries up to seven years in jail under Italian law.

One of the four alleged organisers recruited Chinese nationals to follow Li and another suspect offered someone €100 ($113) a day to help locate him, case files show. Prosecutors say personal information about Li was published online and pressure was exerted on family and friends in China. They added that the campaign left Li fearing for his safety, forcing ⁠him to repeatedly change homes, moving between Milan and Turin in an attempt to avoid detection.

The case is part of growing scrutiny in Italy of suspected Chinese efforts to monitor and pressure critics of ⁠Beijing. Italian police said in February that cyberattacks originating from China ⁠had targeted the Interior Ministry, seeking to locate Chinese dissidents and identify officers investigating Chinese crime groups.

China's Foreign Ministry said at the time Beijing actively opposed hacking and rejected "disinformation" on the issue. A month later, Italian media reported that Rome had ordered the expulsion of eight Chinese nationals suspected of spying on dissidents on behalf of ‌the Chinese government. The Italian Interior Ministry ‌declined to comment at the time.

($1 = 0.8880 euros)