A bipartisan U.S. panel is pressing the Department of Justice to investigate the attacks on Chinese human rights advocates who protested against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader’s visit in November to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit.
In a letter dated Dec. 15 to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the chair and co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, flagged video and anecdotal evidence of state-backed Chinese assailants violently attacking peaceful Chinese protesters in San Francisco who tried to demonstrate against the regime’s abuses.
With the Justice Department (DOJ) having made it a priority to combat the CCP’s coordinated transnational repression operation in the United States, the lawmakers said they want to see whether such violence constitutes a violation of pro-democracy activists’ civil rights and what steps can be taken to hold the perpetrators to account.
They asked the DOJ to provide a briefing about the attacks, posing questions on their knowledge of potential violence and the steps they took in anticipation of the attacks, what steps the department has taken following the violence, and if any of the assaults have been traced to official Chinese channels.
“The compelling testimonies provided by the victims—coupled with what we know about the Chinese Communist Party and how they work—paint a pretty clear picture of coordinated attempts to silence protesters in San Francisco and shield [Chinese leader] Xi Jinping from even seeing protestors,” Mr. Smith told The Epoch Times. “The victims—based on years of harassment—have all concluded it is the CCP. Who else would want to commit such violence except CCP agents and their diplomats?”
He said he seeks “definitive information” from the DOJ on “exactly who and how they are targeting and carrying out such brazen attacks,” so that “we can name names and better protect the victims who are peaceful, non-violent human rights advocates.”
Wielding metal rods, flagpoles, and using pepper spray, the CCP supporters charged at dozens of Chinese activists, causing injuries to more than 10 by some estimates.
Hong Kong Democracy Council Executive Director Anna Kwok, who recalled seeing the assailants snatch a phone from a Tibetan protester and toss it into the river after seeing that the protester had filmed them during the attack, urged the DOJ to act during a congressional hearing on Dec. 13.
“That is just one of the things that the Chinese government is not afraid of doing on American soil, exactly because they know these perpetrators likely do not really have to pay a price—they will not be hunted down because law enforcement is basically not equipped enough to do that,” Ms. Kwok said.
While leaving the protest site, she said she also noticed four men with “strongly built physiques,” military-style haircuts, and earpieces stalking her.
Their message to her was obvious: “You’ll be watched,” she said.
The Chinese Embassy has defended itself, claiming in a media statement that the Chinese welcoming community had “voluntarily traveled to San Francisco” but were subject to “multiple incidents of provocations and violent attacks.” It didn’t respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment about the calls to investigate the assaults against dissident groups.
Assault victim Zhang Kaiyu, who arrived in the United States this year to escape the oppressive environment in China, said more than 10 people wearing red headscarves or ribbons had ambushed him and two other protesters on their way back from a Nov. 17 protest at the San Francisco International Airport. The pro-CCP aggressors had also tried to provoke them with insulting language in Cantonese.
After Mr. Zhang made clear that he was anti-CCP, they tackled him and beat him with such force that he lost consciousness. He woke up with cuts and bruises around his forehead, eyes, and lips and stayed in the hospital until 2 a.m. the following morning. The attackers, an hour earlier, had robbed a reporter of his phone and threw it into the water, Mr. Zhang told The Epoch Times.
“All the evidence points to the CCP,” he said in an interview, noting that he hopes U.S. authorities will investigate those who are backing the attacks on China rights activists such as himself and the others who were attacked.
To the Chinese Embassy’s claims, Mr. Zhang noted that the attacks—both toward him and his companions, who were also beaten previously during other rights protests—have been documented on video.
“Everyone has eyes,” he said. “We don’t even need to exaggerate anything.”
