Chinese satirist Chen Shaotian (陳少天), who was jailed for 14 months over politically sensitive comments on Twitter, is attempting to cross the southern US border to seek political asylum, US-based Radio Free Asia reported on Wednesday.
Chen was found guilty in March last year of “stirring up trouble” by a court in China’s Henan Province for posting about 50 tweets criticizing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including performance art videos.
Chen’s posts “attacked China’s political system, insulted employees of the state, caused serious damage to China’s national image and endangered its national interests,” and it “created serious disorder in a public place,” Radio Free Asia cited the court verdict as saying.
The influencer and performer is attempting to escape China and turn his experience into a video documentary on Twitter, after he finished his sentence earlier this year, Chen told Radio Free Asia in an interview.
Chen, who was traveling with a group of about 200 Chinese at the time of the interview, said he reached the borders of Panama after trekking across rainforests, a journey that took him two days.
His travel companions included people of all ages and entire families from Shandong, Fujian, Xinjiang and nearly every other region of China, Chen said, adding that many fled by land to Turkey before making their way to Ecuador.
Chinese human traffickers are well established, and have numerous midway checkpoints and rest camps, he said, adding that some passages to the US border include a “deluxe” travel package.
For an extra US$1,100, horses could be provided for one-third of the journey, cutting a five-day slog in the mud to two hours, Chen said.
The journey was perilous, as police demanded bribes and one refugee was robbed of US$1,000, he said, adding that banditry was especially rife between Guatemala and Honduras.
A rumor among refugees is that Mexico is the most dangerous, as people crossing the borders can be attacked by gun-carrying locals and Chinese, he said, adding that families were at greater risk because they were more likely to have money than young people traveling alone.
Should he reach the US, Chen told Radio Free Asia that he would request political asylum on the grounds that he wants to be in a democratic country that respects his freedom of speech.
The radio station reported that Chinese migrants trying to cross borders illegally usually enter Ecuador via Turkey and make a circuitous journey through the Andes or up the coast to Venezuela.
From there, refugees can cross the Caribbean Sea by boat or plane to reach the Central American nations of Panama, Belize or Nicaragua, before finally attempting to enter the US from Mexico, it cited sources as saying.
The US government has ordered migrants who crossed the border illegally into the US to be screened in Mexico before they can claim asylum, Radio Free Asia said.
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