A Chinese court has sentenced a former researcher to death for selling classified information to a foreign intelligence agency, in a bid to pay off his debts. The researcher, identified only by his surname “Liu”, was found guilty of betraying his country by selling sensitive information to a foreign entity, according to a report by China’s Ministry of State Security.
Liu, a former engineer at a Chinese research institution, had become disgruntled with his treatment at work and decided to secretly store classified information before quitting his job. He then attempted to use this information to blackmail his former employer and exact revenge. However, his plans took a different turn when he incurred significant debts due to a failed investment venture. Desperate to pay off his debts, Liu reached out to a foreign intelligence agency and sold them the classified information at a relatively low price.
The agency eventually cut ties with Liu, prompting him to attempt to travel abroad to sell the information to other potential buyers. Within a span of just six months, Liu made clandestine trips to multiple countries, causing significant damage to China’s national security. After being apprehended, Liu confessed to his crimes and was subsequently stripped of his political rights for life.
The case has been made public at a time when Chinese authorities are warning of an increasing trend of civilians being recruited by foreign organizations to spy on behalf of other countries. In a similar case, a former state employee was sentenced to death in November 2023 after being found guilty of espionage, with authorities discovering that a flash drive containing sensitive information had been seized by foreign spies, who had used the individual as a pawn.
In another high-profile case, Australian-Chinese author and blogger Yang Hengjun was sentenced to death in February 2023 on charges of espionage, with his appeal being rejected. Yang remains imprisoned in China, despite Australian leaders calling for his release.
Source: BBC