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2d ago

Dresden Court Opens Espionage Trial for Ex-Aide to AfD Lawmaker and Logistics Worker

Prosecutors accuse the pair of feeding sensitive European Parliament documents to Chinese agents in a case that has intensified focus on AfD’s foreign ties.

Defendant Jian G., a former assistant to then-member of the European Parliament Maximilian Krah, of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD) party, arrives at the courtroom for a high-profile espionage trial, in Dresden, Germany, August 5, 2025. REUTERS/Matthias Rietschel
Defendant Jian G., a former assistant to then-member of the European Parliament Maximilian Krah, of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD) party, arrives at the courtroom for a high-profile espionage trial, in Dresden, Germany, August 5, 2025. REUTERS/Matthias Rietschel
Defendants Jian G., a former assistant to then-member of the European Parliament Maximilian Krah, of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD) party, and Jaqi X. arrive at the courtroom for a high-profile espionage trial, in Dresden, Germany, August 5, 2025. REUTERS/Matthias Rietschel
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Overview

  • The trial of German national Jian G. and Chinese national Yaqi X. began in Dresden on August 5 with both defendants held since their arrests last year.
  • Prosecutors allege Jian G., who served as MEP Maximilian Krah’s assistant from 2019 to 2024, spied for Chinese intelligence since 2002 by passing on parliamentary debates and confidential files.
  • Investigators contend Jian G. also gathered personal data on leading AfD politicians and Chinese dissidents by posing as an opponent of Beijing on social media.
  • Yaqi X. is charged with supplying Leipzig airport logistics data on defence equipment shipments and personnel linked to German arms firms between August 2023 and February 2024.
  • Each defendant faces up to ten years in prison if convicted, and Maximilian Krah has been called to testify as prosecutors scrutinize his financial ties to Jian G.’s business associates.