仅事实
英国间谍审判因政府对中国立场而告吹
摘要
两名被控为中国从事间谍活动的英国人审判因英国政府拒绝将中国列为国家安全威胁而被中止。
两名英国公民克里斯托弗·卡什和克里斯托弗·贝里因被控为中国从事间谍活动的审判被终止，原因是英国政府拒绝将中国归类为国家安全威胁。
公共检控署署长斯蒂芬·帕金森表示，案件无法继续进行，因为没有政府官员愿意作证证明中国在涉嫌犯罪发生时构成威胁。
2024年4月提出的指控称，被告在2021年底至2023年2月期间，提供了可能“对敌人有用”且“损害英国安全或利益”的信息。
曾与卡什共事的保守党议员艾丽西亚·柯恩斯呼吁对案件终止保持透明，她表示：“政府必须坦白。是谁负责终止这起起诉？”
两名被告均否认有任何不当行为，中国大使馆则驳斥指控为“恶意诽谤”。
根据《官方机密法》，检察官需证明被告是为“敌人”行事。尽管英国情报机构加强了对北京活动的警告，政府仍将中国称为“战略挑战”而非“威胁”。
首相基尔·斯塔默解释称，政府无法提供所需证词，因为在涉嫌犯罪发生时，前届政府并未将中国定性为威胁。
批评者认为，撤销案件的决定受到了维护与中国贸易关系的影响。议会间联盟中国事务执行主任卢克·德·普尔福德评论道：“这是英国官员出卖国家安全的明显例子。”
来源
AP News事实核查
使用外部来源和数据库核实文章的事实。
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The trial of Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, two British nationals accused of espionage for China, was discontinued after the UK government declined to classify China as a national security threat.
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Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson stated that the case could not proceed because no government official was willing to testify that China posed a threat at the time of the alleged offenses.
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The charges, filed in April 2024, alleged that between late 2021 and February 2023, the defendants provided information that could be 'useful to an enemy' and 'prejudicial to the safety or interests' of the UK.
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Conservative lawmaker Alicia Kearns, who previously worked with Cash, called for transparency regarding the case's collapse, stating, 'The government must come clean. Who is responsible for spiking the prosecution?'
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Both defendants deny any wrongdoing, and the Chinese Embassy dismissed the allegations as 'malicious slander.'
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Under the Official Secrets Act, prosecutors needed to demonstrate that the defendants acted for an 'enemy.' While British intelligence has increased warnings about Beijing's activities, the government has referred to China as a 'strategic challenge' rather than a 'threat.'
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Prime Minister Keir Starmer explained that the government couldn't provide the required testimony because, at the time of the alleged offenses, the previous administration had not designated China as a threat.
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