Virologist Hides in US, Fears Beijing’s Retaliation for Lab-Leak Theories

A Chinese virologist now lives in hiding in the US, fearing Beijing seeks revenge for her promoting theories that the COVID-19 virus originated in a laboratory.

Dr. Li-Meng Yan left her family and became a frequent guest on conservative news programs after questioning the widely accepted narrative surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Now, she believes Beijing is using her relatives to lure her back to China to commit “the perfect crime.”

Yan worked at a prestigious lab at the University of Hong Kong with her husband when the coronavirus pandemic began. She quickly became convinced that the Chinese government deliberately engineered and released the contagion, resulting in millions of deaths worldwide.

This theory created a divide within her family,prompting Yan to flee to the US with assistance from conservative groups who amplified her claims.She now asserts that her work has made her a target for the Chinese government, according to the New York Times.

“For over five years, the CCP has used my parents and Mahen as tools to lure me back, attempting to carry out a ‘perfect crime’ to erase the truth about the virus and avoid accountability,” she told the Times.

Yan resided in China with her husband, Ranawaka Perera, a seasoned virologist, when she was allegedly tasked by her supervisor to investigate the coronavirus emerging in Wuhan.

Doctors she knew confirmed the virus could transmit between humans, and rumors linked the Wuhan Institute of virology to the outbreak.

After the Chinese government acknowledged the virus’s dangers and human transmissibility, Yan became convinced the truth was being suppressed. She began communicating with social media personalities critical of Beijing to disseminate her message.

Perera repeatedly cautioned his wife against unsubstantiated theories, describing this period as turbulent for Yan, who grew increasingly anxious about her belief that Beijing created COVID-19.