The Czech court began this week to hear the spy case of Yang Yiming, a reporter for the Chinese state media “Guangming Daily.” Local media reported that Yang maintained eye contact with a mysterious Chinese woman throughout the proceedings and followed her instructions on how to respond.
Prosecutors have accused Yang Yiming of engaging in activities for a foreign power without authorization, with his status as a journalist being merely a cover for his espionage activities. This is the first time the Czech judiciary has heard a case under this charge, and it is also the first case in the Czech Republic where criminal proceedings have been brought against a foreign national suspected of working for a foreign intelligence agency, rather than just being deported.
The trial of Yang Yiming began in Prague on Wednesday, October 14. The past three days of court proceedings have left observers with a sense of unease.
Right from the start, strict security measures were in place for Yang Yiming’s trial. The Chinese citizen accused of obtaining sensitive information for the Chinese national intelligence agency was escorted from the detention center to the courtroom by armed prison guards, with four gunmen responsible for security both inside and outside the courtroom throughout the proceedings.
The defendant sat in handcuffs in the courtroom, with a court-appointed translator translating all content into Chinese.
Aside from journalists, on the first day of the trial, a female staff member from the Chinese Embassy and another woman who claimed to be a Chinese translator were present in the public gallery.
“I am a Chinese translator. I came to listen out of interest to see how translation is done,” the woman claiming to be a translator explained to local media outlet “Respekt.”
Shortly after, when Yang Yiming was asked to select two trusted individuals for the courtroom (defendants have the right to appoint two trusted individuals to monitor the fairness of the trial alongside their lawyers), he pointed to the woman claiming to be a translator and the Chinese Embassy staff member present.
Given that he is accused of working for the Chinese intelligence agency, his choice of representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Czech Republic was quite puzzling.
According to a commentary by journalist Ondřej Kundra from “Respekt,” in the following hours, the woman claiming to be a translator maintained eye contact with Yang Yiming and used gestures or body language to indicate whether he should agree with the prosecution’s arguments, to which Yang Yiming responded accordingly.
The case is presided over by Judge Tom Frankič. The Prague City Court stated that Yang Yiming denied the charges through his lawyer and refused to accept the contents of the indictment.
Prosecutor Martin Bílý accuses 32-year-old Yang Yiming of entering the Czech Republic in 2022 as a reporter for the “Guangming Daily” based in Prague, holding a foreign journalist card issued by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs; however, in reality, he acted as a cover under the guise of a journalist, following instructions from the Chinese intelligence agency to collect political and economic information in Czech Republic and Slovakia, network, and pass on the acquired information to others.
According to the indictment, Yang Yiming targeted individuals in Czech political and academic circles, including Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil, former Chamber of Deputies Speaker Markéta Pekarová Adamová, who are known for their friendly stance towards Taiwan, attempting to gather unfavorable information about them.
The prosecution alleges that Yang Yiming invited several political figures to dinner, gave gifts, and invited some individuals to visit China; he also created at least 38 documents on his personal computer, stored in multiple storage devices, containing his own investigations, analyses, risk assessments, and recommendations, which were to be delivered to a designated location at a specific time.
This case stems from a joint investigation by the Czech National Anti-Terrorism, Anti-Extremism, and Cybercrime Center and the Security Intelligence Service (BIS). Yang Yiming was arrested in Prague on January 17, 2026, and subsequently ordered to be remanded by the Prague District Court of Prague 8 on the grounds of a flight risk.
Yang Yiming is charged with the crime of “engaging in activities for a foreign power without authorization,” which came into effect in February 2025 and applies to behaviors aimed at working for a foreign country or organization, intending to threaten or harm the constitutional order, sovereignty, territorial integrity, defense, or security of the Czech Republic. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.
Yang Yiming’s defense lawyer Michal Sýkora stated that the defendant maintains his innocence and does not agree with the contents of the indictment. The defense denies that Yang Yiming is a member of a “foreign intelligence agency” and argues that his intent was solely to collect information without posing a concrete or real threat to Czech Republic.
The defense also argues that gathering information is part of Yang Yiming’s journalistic work.
Local media also mentioned Ales K., a Czech businessman detained in Beijing. He was taken by the Chinese national security authorities at the end of June 2026 at a Chinese airport and was accused of “endangering national security” and investigated for espionage activities.
This case has been widely criticized as Beijing’s retaliatory tactic against the Czech Republic known as “Hostage Diplomacy.”
Ales K. belongs to Eldis Pardubice, a subsidiary of the Czech industrial giant “Czechoslovak Group” (CSG), which mainly produces radar systems and has contracts for over ten airport radar systems in China.
He was invited to China to perform certification work related to radar systems at Chinese airports and was taken away by Chinese security personnel at the airport.
While announcing the investigation of Ales K., the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs openly criticized the unfounded accusations against the Chinese reporter Yang Yiming by the Czech Republic and demanded his release.