Australia charges two over China spy allegations
Australian police announced on Wednesday that two Chinese nationals have been charged with foreign interference, accusing them of conducting surveillance on a Buddhist group on behalf of authorities in China.
The suspects — a 25-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman — have each been charged with one count of “reckless foreign interference,” an offence that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
According to police, when the pair appear in court on Wednesday, prosecutors will allege they acted in coordination with another Chinese national who was charged in August last year for allegedly collecting information covertly on the Guan Yin Citta Buddhist group based in Australia’s capital, Canberra.
Authorities claim the two operated under the direction of China’s Public Security Bureau, the country’s primary domestic law enforcement agency.
The Australian Federal Police said the investigation was launched last year following intelligence provided by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).
ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess warned that Australia faces a “complex, challenging and changing security environment” that is becoming increasingly dynamic, diverse and degraded.
He stated that several foreign governments are accused of monitoring, harassing and intimidating members of diaspora communities in Australia, describing such actions as unacceptable and saying they will not be tolerated.
News.Az
By Nijat Babayev
