Chinese Official Gets Life Sentence For Espionage
Former security official sentenced to life for passing military secrets
Beijing court finds Sun Baiyang guilty of leaking information to "foreign entities"
**UPDATED on 2023-03-09 12:20 PM (UTC)** A Chinese court has sentenced a former security official to life in prison for espionage, the latest in a series of cases involving the Chinese government's crackdown on foreign influence. Sun Baiyang, 57, was found guilty of leaking military secrets to "foreign entities" by the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court on Monday. The court said that Sun had passed on information about China's military strategy and deployments to "foreign entities" over a period of several years.Sun was arrested in 2021 and has been held in custody since then. He was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and stripped of his military rank in 2022.
The sentencing of Sun is the latest in a series of cases involving the Chinese government's crackdown on foreign influence. In recent years, the Chinese government has increased its efforts to combat espionage and foreign interference, and has sentenced several individuals to life in prison or death for spying for foreign governments.
The Chinese government has also taken steps to strengthen its control over the internet and social media, and has cracked down on dissent and free speech. These measures have been criticized by human rights groups, who say that they are a violation of the Chinese people's right to freedom of expression.
The sentencing of Sun is a reminder of the Chinese government's determination to crack down on foreign influence and espionage. It is also a warning to those who may be tempted to leak sensitive information to foreign governments.
