Woman arrested for heckling Chinese President Hu at White House
{{date|April 22, 2006}}
[[Image:Hu Jintao.jpg|120px|right|thumb|Hu Jintao]]
{{w|Wang Wenyi}}, who was seen on television heckling {{w|China|Chinese}} President [[Hu Jintao]] during his {{w|US White House|White House}} appearance this week, was formally charged in a United States federal court for the misdemeanor of willfully intimidating, coercing, threatening, and harassing a foreign official. 

According to the {{w|US Secret Service|Secret Service}}, Wang Wenyi gained press credentials for working with the {{w|Falun Gong}}-run newspaper ''{{w|The Epoch Times|The Epoch}}''. She then stood on a camera stand and shouted in Chinese: "Stop oppressing the Falun Gong," as well as "Your time is running out," and "Anything you have done will come back to you in this lifetime." She also shouted in English, "President {{w|George W. Bush|Bush}}, stop him from persecuting the Falun Gong." The Falun Gong is a religious group who is currently being persecuted in China for unconventional beliefs.

Wang Wenyi was then "escorted" by the Secret Service away from the South Lawn where the appearance was taking place. Over 35 supporters attended Wang's arraignment on Friday. If she is convicted, she could receive up to six months in jail and a [[US$|$]]5,000 fine.

This is the 47-year-old Wenyi's second incident in five years involving protest of a Chinese leader. July 2001, she confronted then-President {{w|Jiang Zemin}} during a tour of Malta. According to Wang, she introduced herself to Jiang and then urged him "to stop the killing of Falun Gong practitioners in China." Security officials dragged her away, but Jiang called her back and spoke to her in Chinese saying that the "Falun Gong practitioners were killing themselves."

Wenyi's court-appointed lawyer, David Bos, challenged the criminal charge on the basis of [[free speech|free-speech]].

"It's making the First Amendment rights of all Americans just evaporate," he said, while he said Wang's remarks were "relatively innocuous."

The first amendment to the {{w|U.S. constitution}} states; "''Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech'' ... (or the freedom)'' to petition the Government for a redress of grievances''." 

Hu is in the U.S. for a weeklong conference with President Bush.
{{haveyoursay}}
== Reference ==
*{{source|url=http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html
|title=Bill of Rights 
|author=Congress of the United States
|pub=US National Archives
|date=March 4,1789}}

== Sources ==

*{{source|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060421/ap_on_go_pr_wh/hu_protester_22;_ylt=AgGMcR3v10OOceD2XJpW7z5PzWQA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
|title=Woman Charged in Protest Against Hu 
|author=Associated Press
|pub=Yahoo News
|date=April 21, 2006}}
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4931914.stm
|title=Hu heckler on harassment charge
|author=
|pub=BBC News Online
|date=April 21, 2006}}
*{{source|url=http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=8489 
|title=Wenyi Wang, White House Heckler, Charged with Threatening Chinese President
|author=Paul Reyes
|pub=American Chronicle
|date= April 22, 2006}}
*{{source|url=http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-04-22T012013Z_01_N21214768_RTRUKOC_0_US-CHINA-USA-PROTESTER.xml 
|title=China heckler at White House charged in court
|author=Peter Kaplan
|pub=Reuters
|date= April 21, 2006}}

{{publish}}
{{Archive-unreviewed}}
[[Category:North America]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:China]]
[[Category:Hu Jintao]]
[[Category:Falun Gong]]
[[Category:Free speech]]
[[Category:Asia]]
[[Category:Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:US White House]]
[[Category:Jiang Zemin]]

[[de:Verhaftung wegen Zwischenrufen vor dem Weißen Haus bei Besuch Hu Jintaos]]
[[zh:白宮歡迎胡錦濤儀式上法輪功記者喧場]]
Hu Jintao
China|Chinese President Hu Jintao during his White House appearance this week, was formally charged in a United States federal court for the misdemeanor of willfully intimidating, coercing, threatening, and harassing a foreign official. 

According to the Secret Service, Wang Wenyi gained press credentials for working with the The Epoch Times|The Epoch. She then stood on a camera stand and shouted in Chinese: "Stop oppressing the Falun Gong," as well as "Your time is running out," and "Anything you have done will come back to you in this lifetime." She also shouted in English, "President Bush, stop him from persecuting the Falun Gong." The Falun Gong is a religious group who is currently being persecuted in China for unconventional beliefs.

Wang Wenyi was then "escorted" by the Secret Service away from the South Lawn where the appearance was taking place. Over 35 supporters attended Wang's arraignment on Friday. If she is convicted, she could receive up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

This is the 47-year-old Wenyi's second incident in five years involving protest of a Chinese leader. July 2001, she confronted then-President  during a tour of Malta. According to Wang, she introduced herself to Jiang and then urged him "to stop the killing of Falun Gong practitioners in China." Security officials dragged her away, but Jiang called her back and spoke to her in Chinese saying that the "Falun Gong practitioners were killing themselves."

Wenyi's court-appointed lawyer, David Bos, challenged the criminal charge on the basis of free-speech.

"It's making the First Amendment rights of all Americans just evaporate," he said, while he said Wang's remarks were "relatively innocuous."

The first amendment to the  states; "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech ... (or the freedom) to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." 

Hu is in the U.S. for a weeklong conference with President Bush.
North America United States Politics and conflicts China Hu Jintao Falun Gong Free speech Asia Washington, D.C. US White House Jiang Zemin