Prosecutors in Taiwan indicted five people over an alleged plan to injure comedian Huang Yi-hao with a car and prevent him performing. They alleged that a Chinese individual hired the defendants after Huang mocked Xi Jinping. The comedian suffered a bruised pelvis. Government direction of the attack has not been independently established.
Prosecutors in New Taipei, a city in Taiwan, indicted five people over an alleged plan to injure comedian Huang Yi-hao with a car and prevent him from performing. Huang’s routines have mocked Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government. Prosecutors allege that a Chinese individual hired the defendants. The accusation concerns an alleged violent plot; Chinese government direction has not been independently established.[1], [2]
Huang suffered a bruised pelvis after a car struck him while he was riding his scooter home last month. Prosecutors said surveillance had begun in July and alleged that the objective was to break his arms and legs. All five defendants are Taiwanese. According to the prosecutors, two admitted involvement in the plan. The indictment places their alleged role before the courts and does not establish guilt.[1]
In May, two people were prosecuted after paint and faeces were spread outside a Taipei comedy club before a scheduled Huang performance. Huang said he had faced both that attack and the vehicle collision after criticizing Xi on stage. He thanked police and prosecutors for their work and invited them to upcoming shows. Taiwan’s authorities describe transnational repression as a threat to people whose views Beijing opposes.[1]
