Investigation into Chinese Espionage Targeting Teacher Li
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The investigation into Chinese espionage targeting Teacher Li concerns ten people under investigation by the Milan public prosecutor's office (Procura), including three men of Chinese origin resident or domiciled in Turin, accused of taking part in a network that allegedly monitored, followed and threatened the Chinese dissident Li Ying, an activist known on social media under the pseudonym «Teacher Li». The on-the-ground investigation was carried out by the anti-terrorism section of Turin's Digos (political police), under the coordination of public prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis, while the Milan public prosecutor's office, led by chief prosecutor Marcello Viola, signed the notice closing the preliminary investigation, served on the suspects in the days before 29 October 2026 [1][2].
The role of Turin's Digos
The investigation began with an initial line of inquiry carried out in Turin, during which Digos officers seized the laptop of one of the suspects. Its memory contained dozens of video files and photographs showing, in real time, Li Ying's movements and the facade of the Milan building where the dissident was trying to hide. According to investigators' reconstruction, the surveillance activity was coordinated through private chats on the WeChat platform starting from March 2025 [1].
The suspects and the charges
Among the ten suspects are four Chinese nationals and two Italians, besides the three men resident or domiciled in Turin. According to the prosecution, the operational structure was headed by a 57-year-old man resident in the Milan area, vice-president of an association of Chinese people from Fujian, who allegedly acted on behalf of the Chinese police while keeping in contact with diplomatic staff and the United Front Work Department. Two other suspects are respectively accused of direct surveillance of Li Ying and of recruiting local informants to gather details on the dissident's movements [1][2]. The suspects face, to varying degrees, charges of criminal conspiracy aimed at suppressing political freedoms and aggravated stalking [1][2].
The dissident Li Ying
Li Ying, 34 according to TorinoToday (33 according to CronacaQui Torino), came to Italy to study Fine Arts and became known as a symbol of counter-information against the policies of the Chinese Communist Party, followed by more than two million followers on X under the pseudonym «Teacher Li». He has long lived in hiding between Turin and Milan. In the past he recounted that the Chinese police had shown up at his parents' home at night to ask who was paying him to engage in politics [1].
Sources
- Caccia al dissidente tra Torino e Milano: 10 a processo per lo spionaggio della polizia cinese su “Teacher Li — CronacaQui Torino, 29 October 2026
- Spionaggio e minacce all’influencer Teacher Li: indagati anche tre torinesi, scoperta la rete che tormentava il dissidente — TorinoToday, 29 October 2026