Silenced or Targeted: Chinese Virologist Who Fled Pushing Lab-Leak Theory Now Hides in US

Dr. Li-Meng Yan, a former postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hong Kong, fled to the US in 2020 after making her claims public. Her accusations quickly made her a prominent figure in conservative media circles, but Yan now believes this exposure turned her into a target for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

"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,'" Yan stated, alleging that Chinese authorities are weaponizing her family members to pressure her into returning home.

The Escape and the Media Spotlight

Yan’s escape was reportedly engineered with assistance from online influencers, including YouTuber Wang Dinggang, and supported by a foundation linked to prominent figures such as Steve Bannon and exiled billionaire Guo Wengui.

Once in the U.S., Yan became a fixture on the MAGA media circuit, making repeated appearances on shows like Tucker Carlson’s on Fox News, where she amplified her claims that scientists manufactured the virus in a Wuhan lab. Bannon later credited her influence with fueling the rise and acceptance of the lab-leak narrative in American public discourse, saying, "A lot of it was because of Dr. Yan."

However, Yan’s scientific credibility quickly eroded. A paper she released alleging COVID’s deliberate engineering was widely rejected by experts across the scientific community, and her former employer, the University of Hong Kong, emphasized that she was a junior researcher with limited experience, questioning the foundation of her claims.

Fears of CCP Retaliation

Despite the scientific community's rejection of her hypothesis, Yan's fears of CCP retaliation appear to have a basis in real-world events. In 2023, Yan was named as a victim in a federal criminal complaint in the U.S., which accused Chinese police of operating a transnational repression scheme within the country. Furthermore, earlier this year, Google reportedly alerted her to a likely state-sponsored hacking attempt targeting her digital accounts.

The virologist currently lives in isolation and is estranged from her family in China. Her husband, veteran virologist Ranawaka Perera, traveled to the U.S. in hopes of finding her. He stated that he only wishes to confirm her safety.

"I just want to talk to her directly," Perera said. "If she’s safe and doesn’t want to be with me, I can move on. But not until I know exactly what happened."