China Sentences Ex-Government Employee to Death for Alleged State Secrets Leak

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Facts

  • According to reports from China, a former government employee with the last name Zhang who was once "a core confidential personnel of a state agency" received a death sentence for disclosing "a large number of top secret and classified state secrets to foreign intelligence agencies."[1][2]
  • In a WeChat post, the Chinese Ministry of State Security Wednesday said Zhang had access to "a large number of state secrets," which he reportedly leaked using a USB drive. The ministry dubbed the former state employee "weak in character and unable to resist the temptation of money."[2][3]
  • The ministry also said that foreign agencies, which it did not identify, had recruited Zhang after he had left his official position. In September, it had reportedly warned students with access to sensitive information of "handsome men" or "beautiful women" trying to lure them.[1][2]
  • Zhang was allegedly lured abroad and forced into signing a document by a foreign spy surnamed Li who seized his flash drive. His colleague, surnamed Zhu, reportedly received a six-year prison term for aiding Zhang. China tightened its state secrets laws earlier this year.[4]
  • In October, a Chinese court upheld the death sentence for a woman for trafficking children in the 1990s. In June, Beijing threatened Taiwan separatist "diehards" with capital punishment. In April, a documentary exposed a scientist's execution eight years ago over espionage.[5][6][7]
  • While the Supreme People's Court in March assured limited scope for capital punishment, death penalty numbers themselves are a state secret.[3][8][9]

Sources: [1]Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, [2]Reuters, [3]RFI, [4]Al Jazeera, [5]BBC News, [6]The Guardian, [7]The EirAsian Times, [8]The Print and [9]TRT World.

Narratives

  • Anti-China narrative, as provided by WCADP and The Print. China's revised state secrets law and opaque death penalty practices are serious human rights concerns. By classifying execution data as state secrets, China obscures the true extent of its use of capital punishment — likely hiding thousands of executions. Recent legal changes grant authorities broad power to target foreign nationals and dissenters, expanding government control and stifling public discourse. These measures signal an alarming erosion of transparency, restricting accountability for potential human rights abuses in China.
  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global Times and China Daily. China's updated state secrets law is a necessary measure to protect national security while still fostering an open business environment. Despite criticism, these revisions aim to ensure technological and strategic interests are safeguarded without hindering legitimate foreign business operations. In parallel, China’s approach to capital punishment is balanced — applying strict, controlled use only for severe crimes, in line with China’s social context and judicial norms. This issue remains a sovereign matter.