China reveals it executed scientist for spying in 2016 in documentary about ‘shocking’ cases
- Programme on state television discloses new details and punishments from espionage cases as part of a campaign marking National Security Education Day
- State security ministry releases details of researcher Huang Yu, who was executed for selling ‘core secrets’ to an unnamed foreign intelligence agency
Authorities in Beijing have revealed that a Chinese scientist who was convicted in 2015 of selling state secrets to foreign spy agencies was executed in 2016, one of several “shocking” spy cases.
The documentary – Led by Innovation, National Security Sharpens the Sword – which was aired on Sunday by state broadcaster CCTV and has been posted to the ministry’s social media page, is part of a campaign to mark the annual National Security Education Day.
The event, which is promoted by various local governments, including Hong Kong and Macau, is also intended to remind the public to remain vigilant about national security threats and report suspicious acts.
According to the documentary, Huang Yu, then a researcher at a top secret communication system development project, sent a note to “the website of a certain country’s spy agency” containing classified Chinese military codes.
Huang was bitter after being removed from a unit that was working on the project due to poor work performance and had indicated he wanted to defect, the report said.
After the authenticity of the codes had been confirmed, Huang was recruited by the unnamed foreign spy agency and given training in Hong Kong and Bangkok. The documentary said he not only sold “core secrets” through his work, but also duped his wife – an employee at the same institution – into copying confidential material so he could pass it on in return for additional payments.
