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Request from Advancing Justice | AAJC
Advancing Justice | AAJC is requesting local community support for Professor Anming Hu, an impacted person, for his upcoming trial in Knoxville, TN. Mr. Hu was a NASA researcher and professor at University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) who was charged with wire fraud and false statements in February, 2020 on the basis of failing to disclose his affiliation with a university in China on a conflict of interest form submitted to UT. The charges against him do not involve economic espionage or evidence of “spying” despite the rhetoric under the “China Initiative,” which has heavily scrutinized scientists, researchers, and scholars of Chinese and Asian descent (You can find more information on the “China Initiative” policy here.)
Mr. Hu is a naturalized Canadian citizen of Chinese ancestry and prior to his arrest, was awaiting a green card in America. The prosecution has destroyed Mr.Hu’s career and left him and his family’s lives in shambles. His health has further deteriorated since he was placed under house arrest, but he is still fighting against this injustice. The U.S. Eastern District court will hold a trial for Mr. Hu and we are looking to get concerned community members to attend this trial in Knoxville, TN starting at 9 am on June 7, 2021 to show support for him. Please sign up HERE to attend the trial on June 7, 2021 to support Mr. Hu. Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC is deeply concerned with the racial profiling and unjust prosecutions of Asian Americans and Asian immigrants across the country. The latest wave of resurgent xenophobia follows a long history of Asian Americans being stereotyped as “perpetual foreigners” and scapegoated as spies disloyal to the United States. We would be grateful if you can help spread the word in the community about the upcoming trial and about this issue more generally. If you have any questions, please contact Vivin Qiang, who coordinates the legal referral service, outreach and media engagement for the Anti-Racial Profiling Project at vqiang@advancingjustice-aajc.org and Gisela Kusakawa, who leads the project’s policy and advocacy work at gkusakawa@advancingjustice-aajc.org. |
亚裔推进正义协会的呼吁
亚裔推进正义协会（Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC) 正在呼吁社区支持被审查的胡安明教授。胡安明是田纳西大学诺克斯维尔分校的教授，也是美国宇航局（NASA）的研究员。他于2020年2月因未能在递交给田纳西大学的利益冲突表格上披露与中国一所大学的关系而受到联邦起诉，被指控犯有电信欺诈罪和虚假陈述罪。美国司法部的“中国行动” ("China Initiative"）宣称打击经济间谍活动，已针对亚裔科学家、研究人员和学者展开了大规模的调查。但政府对胡教授的指控并不涉及经济间谍活动，也无任何“间谍活动”的证据。（有关 "China Initiative" 详情请看：https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/anti-racial-profiling-project）
胡先生是一位加拿大籍华裔，在被捕之前，他正在美国等待绿卡。司法部对胡教授的指控不仅断送了他的职业生涯，也对他和他家人的生活造成了极大的伤害。自从他被软禁以后，他的健康也进一步恶化，但尽管如此，他仍在与这场不公正的待遇作斗争。胡教授的案件将于6月7日早上9点在美国田纳西州东部地区法院举行审判，我们希望社区成员能够在当天来到法院旁听庭审，以表示华人社区对他的支持。 报名链接：https://forms.gle/PgFhyDcC2p68E6Py9 亚裔推进正义协会 | AAJC 一直非常关注美国政府针对美籍亚裔和亚裔移民的种族定性，尤其是华裔人群。这最新一波的仇外情绪在美国历史上已有许多先例，亚裔人群由于他们的族裔而被认为是“永远的外国人”，并被定性为不忠于美国的间谍，当作替罪羊对待。希望您能帮助我们在社区传播参与胡教授案件听审机会的更多信息，并呼吁更多人关注华人科学家被种族定性的事件。如果您有任何疑问，可以联系亚裔推进正义协会 | AAJC 反对种族定性项目的工作人员Vivin Qiang（强雪儿）。微信号：vivinq_aajc 感谢您的帮助和支持！ |
800 Market Street, Suite 130
Knoxville Courtroom 3B
Knoxville, TN 37902
Phone: (865) 545-4228
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Legal Docket by CourtListener: United States v. Hu (TV1) (3:20-cr-00021)
On February 27, 2020, the Department of Justicde announced the indictment of Professor Anming Hu, an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). Professor Hu was charged with three counts of wire fraud and three counts of making false statements.
Professor Hu is the second case involving a U.S. university professor of Asian ancestry facing dubious charges under the "China Initiative." The first is Kansas University Professor Franklin Tao.
According to Knoxville News Sentinel on July 2, 2020, "The (U.S. Department of Justice) wanted a feather in its cap with an economic espionage case, so they ignored the facts and the law, destroyed the career of a professor with two PhDs in nanotechnology and now expects the court to follow their narrative," attorney Philip Lomonaco wrote in a brief asking a judge to dismiss the charges against Hu.
In addition, Hu's attorney says he's no spy, and that he never meant to deceive anyone. In Lomonaco's telling, Hu is nothing more than an innocent researcher who tried his best to follow a rule so vague that neither UT, the FBI nor NASA seemed to fully understand it. The charges should be dismissed for that reason, Lomonaco wrote, and because Hu listened to a UT official who said the restriction didn't apply to faculty.
Although prosecutors have argued the case could involve matters of national security, they have not accused Hu of espionage, as in all other known cases involving U.S. university professors and researchers under the "China Initiative."
2021/02/16 Tennessean opinion: Accused Chinese academics in Tennessee and elsewhere should not be unfairly punished
2020/07/02 Knoxville News Sentinel: University of Tennessee professor accused of hiding his Chinese job wants case tossed
AP: Professor accused of hiding ties to China wants case tossed
2020/03/03 Knoxville News Sentinel: Who is Anming Hu? UT professor charged with hiding Chinese ties is flight risk, feds say
Professor Hu is the second case involving a U.S. university professor of Asian ancestry facing dubious charges under the "China Initiative." The first is Kansas University Professor Franklin Tao.
According to Knoxville News Sentinel on July 2, 2020, "The (U.S. Department of Justice) wanted a feather in its cap with an economic espionage case, so they ignored the facts and the law, destroyed the career of a professor with two PhDs in nanotechnology and now expects the court to follow their narrative," attorney Philip Lomonaco wrote in a brief asking a judge to dismiss the charges against Hu.
In addition, Hu's attorney says he's no spy, and that he never meant to deceive anyone. In Lomonaco's telling, Hu is nothing more than an innocent researcher who tried his best to follow a rule so vague that neither UT, the FBI nor NASA seemed to fully understand it. The charges should be dismissed for that reason, Lomonaco wrote, and because Hu listened to a UT official who said the restriction didn't apply to faculty.
Although prosecutors have argued the case could involve matters of national security, they have not accused Hu of espionage, as in all other known cases involving U.S. university professors and researchers under the "China Initiative."
2021/02/16 Tennessean opinion: Accused Chinese academics in Tennessee and elsewhere should not be unfairly punished
2020/07/02 Knoxville News Sentinel: University of Tennessee professor accused of hiding his Chinese job wants case tossed
AP: Professor accused of hiding ties to China wants case tossed
2020/03/03 Knoxville News Sentinel: Who is Anming Hu? UT professor charged with hiding Chinese ties is flight risk, feds say