Taiwanese prosecutors have charged five men in a plot to ram a car into a comedian who was mocking the Chinese Communist Party and Xi Jinping.
Taiwan has repeatedly accused China of transnational repression aimed at silencing criticism on the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its territory and has vowed to take by force if necessary.
During a performance, Huang Yi-hao insulted the Chinese leader’s appearance, compared him to Winnie the Pooh and ripped into his political background.
New Taipei prosecutors said Wednesday that an individual from mainland China, identified as “K,” paid the five defendants to injure Huang seriously enough to require hospitalization.
Prosecutors said: “This case concerns a serious incident in which the Chinese Communist Party is suspected of using cross-border repression tactics to direct lawless elements in our country to suppress dissenting political voices with extreme violence. »
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to requests for comment.
A GPS tracker was allegedly installed on Huang’s scooter months before the attack to identify his daily routines, Taiwan’s Central News Agency said. On Sept. 11, two defendants rode Huang’s bicycle as he rode home, but stopped after hearing Huang scream, prosecutors said.
The comedian was left with a bruised pelvis and the suspects then allegedly pretended to contribute to an insurance claim in order to send a photo of Huang’s medical certificate to K.
K refused to pay the full NT$450,000 (US$13,900; £10,370) promised to the suspects because Huang’s injuries were minor, the statement said.
On Wednesday, Huang reposted a video from December 2025 in which he asked the audience to help him by shouting the name of the person he was about to portray.
In a rapid-fire diatribe, the comedian, dressed in traditional dress, spoke of “backed hair” and a “chubby figure”, and criticized Hong Kong policy, Covid and the property market. After finishing with an expletive, the crowd chanted Xi’s name before applauding.
In May, two people were prosecuted after spreading feces and paint at a Taipei club hours before a Huang show.
Lev Nachman, a political science professor at National Taiwan University, said: “It’s important to remember that what we’re reading is obviously a more extreme case, but there have been threats and acts of violence against critics of the Communist Party here in Taiwan for many years.” »
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said in October that at least 126 people had been affected by China’s transnational crackdown.
The Guardian has contacted China’s Foreign Ministry for comment.
In an article published Wednesday, Huang said, “If people can be subjected to this kind of treatment simply for criticizing the Chinese Communist Party when it doesn’t even govern Taiwan, how can we hope to maintain our current freedom of expression if the CCP were to one day rule Taiwan?”
In another Facebook post, Huang said he would not cancel future performances but was “not a hero.”
“I write it because it’s funny,” he says. “If I stop, it will only be because I’m fed up.”
Gn world
