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US authorities have charged a Tibetan man serving as a New York police officer with espionage, accusing him of gathering details about town’s Tibetan group for the Chinese authorities.
The officer, who labored at a station within the Queens part of town, was directed by members of the Chinese consulate in New York, in keeping with the indictment launched Monday.
Through his contacts with the Tibetan group, the 33-year-old man gathered info between 2018 and 2020 on the group’s actions, in addition to recognized potential info sources.
According to the indictment, the person — who can be an officer US military Reserve — allowed members of the Chinese consulate to attend occasions organized by the New York Police Department.
The Chinese authorities allegedly paid him tens of hundreds of {dollars} for his service.
The officer has been charged with 4 counts, together with enlisting within the service of a overseas nation on US soil, misrepresentation and obstructing the operation of a public service.
He was introduced earlier than a decide Monday and brought into custody, a spokesperson for the Brooklyn federal prosecutor advised AFP.
According to the NYPD, he’s presently suspended with out pay.
Born in China, the person was granted political asylum within the US, claiming he was tortured by Chinese authorities due to his Tibetan ethnicity.
The investigation revealed, nevertheless, that each of his mother and father had been members of the Chinese Communist Party.
“If confirmed by the courts,” the espionage operation “shows that the Chinese Communist Party is engaged in malign operations to suppress dissent, not only in Tibet… but any place in the world,” stated the International Campaign for Tibet, an advocacy group that promotes Tibetans’ freedoms and rights.
After permitting Tibet to perform autonomously from 1912-1950, Beijing retook management of the territory in 1951. The Tibetan religious chief, the Dalai Lama, has lived in exile since 1959.
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