New Taipei prosecutors indicted five people Wednesday over an alleged paid car attack intended to stop comedian Huang Yi-hao from performing after he mocked the Chinese government and Xi Jinping.
The prosecutors said the case stems from a car collision in September. Their statement alleges that a Chinese individual identified only as “K” paid another man to arrange it.
The accused were allegedly paid to stage a collision and seriously injure Huang so he could not perform, prosecutors said. They said the plan included an order to “break the arms and legs” of Huang, but he was only lightly injured. Prosecutors identified the accused without releasing their full names.
Huang said in a Facebook statement that he had mentioned Xi only briefly during a performance. He questioned whether Taiwan could retain freedom of speech if the Chinese Communist Party ever ruled the island. Taiwan's constitution protects freedom of speech.
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said the government would pursue people who took orders from China's Communist Party or its associates to engage in transnational repression. Reuters reported that China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to the news agency's request for comment.
A masked assailant threw red paint at Denise Ho, a Hong Kong singer and activist, during a 2019 attack in Taipei, Reuters reported. The news agency also reported that two people were prosecuted in May after feces and paint were left at a Taipei club before Huang was scheduled to perform.
