Following the call from the Asian Americans for Equal Rights (AAER) for the US Attorney to withdraw the sole criminal charge against Haoyang Yu (case 1:19-cr-10195), Mr. Yu’s legal battle continues to garner community and public support.Since Nov. 14, 2022, when the AAER and eight regional and national organizations submitted the letter to US Attorney Rachael Rollins and her top deputy Joshua Levy to express their concern of racial profiling, more organizations and individuals have endorsed the letter, including Boston Nankai Alumni Association, and Sherry Chen, the Chinese-American hydrologist who was falsely accused of espionage eight years ago and eventually won her legal battle against the government (case 1:19-cv-00045).
The Asian Pacific American Justice Task Force, a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing concerns of racial profiling of the Asian Pacific American community, has created a webpage for this case (https://www.apajustice.org/haoyang-yu.html), and featured it in its newsletter.
On Dec. 22, 2022, the Intercept published a story titled Chipped Away - How the Govt’s Case Against a Chinese Immigrant Fell Apart, which details how a competitor brought the FBI to Haoyang’s doorstep. Through the revelation of court documents that detailed a series of missteps of the government, the article concluded that “(t)he root problem behind a specific set of cases remains: the way that our own government still sees foreignness as a threat.”
Meanwhile, the court proceedings continued. On Nov. 29, 2022 Judge Willian G. Young held a hearing on the loss of the sole convicted trade secret charge. At the hearing, he also revived Mr. Yu’s motion to dismiss the case due to unconstitutional selective enforcement, ordering the prosecutors to turn over additional evidence connected to Yu’s prosecution.
On Dec. 13, 2022, Judge Young held another hearing on the issue of loss. The next court hearing will focus on selective enforcement, which has been scheduled on Feb. 16, 2023.
Even with the burden of the ongoing case, Mr. Yu never forgets about helping people whenever he can, even if it poses danger to himself. On Dec. 26, 2022, he saved a 14-year-old who fell through the ice at the Old Reservoir in Lexington. “He’s a father, and he acted like a father should… even though it wasn’t [his] child,” said Nikitas Splagounias after Haoyang Yu saved his son's life at the Old Reservoir. “He sprang into action, and we will forever be in his debt for that.”
About the Asian Americans for Equal Rights
Asian Americans for Equal Rights is a 501(c)(3) organization with its mission to advocate for the equal rights of Asian Americans and all Americans.
To learn more, visit https://www.asianamericans4equalrights.org/.
