Two men were arrested yesterday on charges of helping to set up a Chinese secret police “police station” or “outpost” in New York City and more than 35 officers from China’s national police force are accused of using the networks. social networks to harass dissidents within the United States.
The cases are part of a series of Justice Department prosecutions in recent years aimed at stopping Chinese government attempts to locate pro-democracy activists and others in the US who are outspoken critics of Beijing’s policies.
One of the cases concerns a local branch of China’s Ministry of Public Security that operated out of an office building in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The two men, identified as “Harry” Lu Jianwang (61) from the Bronx and Chen Jinping (59) from Manhattan, established the outpost under the direction and control of a Chinese government official. and they deleted from their cell phones the conversations they had with that official after learning about the investigation.
At the moment it is unknown if they have lawyers who can make statements on their behalf.
At no time did the men register with the Justice Department as agents of a foreign government, according to US law enforcement authorities. And while the police station performed some basic services, such as helping Chinese citizens renew their Chinese driver’s licences, it also performed more “sinister” functions, including helping the Chinese government track down a pro-democracy activist of Chinese descent who lives in California, according to US authorities.
“New York City is home to the best of New York: the New York police,” Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said at a news conference announcing the arrests. “We don’t need or want a secret police station in our great city,” he added.
