World · East Asia & Pacific · 2 hrs ago
Taiwan charges five over plot to run down comedian who mocked Xi
Taiwanese prosecutors charged five men over a plot to injure comedian Huang Yi-hao after he mocked Chinese leader Xi Jinping in his performances.
They say a person from mainland China, identified only as “K,” paid the men to hit Huang with a car and leave him seriously injured.
Prosecutors say the plan was meant to stop him performing, but Huang suffered only minor injuries when a car hit his scooter as he rode home.
Taiwan governs itself, while Beijing claims the island as Chinese territory and has said it could use force to take it.
Taiwan says China uses cross-border pressure to silence critics, and officials say at least 126 people have been affected by such repression.
Huang says he will not cancel future shows, and Taiwan says those involved will face prosecution.
Taiwanese prosecutors charged five people over an alleged plot to run down comedian Huang Yi-hao.
Prosecutors said a person from mainland China identified as “K” paid the defendants to injure Huang.
The alleged plot followed Huang’s jokes about Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party.
Huang was hit by a car on 11 September and suffered a bruised pelvis, according to prosecutors.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to requests for comment.
- Who
- Five defendants were charged. Prosecutors said a person identified as “K” paid them to injure comedian Huang Yi-hao.
- What
- They were accused of plotting to run a car into Huang and injure him badly enough to stop him performing.
- When
- Prosecutors announced the charges on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. The alleged collision happened on 11 September.
- Where
- Taiwan. Prosecutors in New Taipei announced the charges; the location of the collision is not stated.
- Why
- Prosecutors said the plot aimed to injure Huang because of his political comedy and prevent him from performing.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A GPS tracker was allegedly placed on Huang’s scooter to identify his daily routines.
Two defendants allegedly drove into Huang’s bike as he rode home; he suffered a bruised pelvis.
Two people were prosecuted after spreading faeces and paint at a Taipei club hours before a Huang performance.
Prosecutors charged five people over the alleged plot.
- Defendants
- Five people
- Comedian
- Huang Yi-hao
- Alleged paymaster
- Mainland Chinese individual identified as “K
- Injury
- Bruised pelvis
- Promised payment
- NT$450,000 (US$13,900)
4 sources
What people are saying
This case involves a serious incident in which the Chinese Communist party is suspected of using cross-border suppression tactics to direct lawless elements in our country to suppress dissenting political voices through extreme violence.
If people can be subjected to this kind of treatment simply for criticising the Chinese Communist party when it does not even govern Taiwan, how can we expect to retain our current freedom of speech if the CCP were ever to rule Taiwan?
I write it because it’s funny,
It is important to remember that what we are reading about is obviously a more extreme case, but there have been threats and acts of violence against critics of the Communist party here in Taiwan for many years.