PRESS RELEASE: The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation calls on the UK Government to force the closure of all Chinese police stations operating secretively in the UK
28 October 2022 – The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation (CFHK Foundation) calls on the UK Government to follow the Irish Government and order the Chinese embassy to close police stations operating in secret and run by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Two weeks ago, a Chinese government official admitted to the existence of such stations and their role in “pressuring criminals” to return to China – by criminals they of course mean anyone who dares to speak out against the CCP. Safeguard Defenders, a Madrid-based civil liberties group have published a report, ‘110 Overseas: Chinese Transnational Policing Gone Wild’, which highlights the number of Chinese “police stations” operating around the world. The report exposes that there are three of these “police stations” in the UK, with two in London and one in Glasgow. The one in Glasgow was registered at the same address as one of the city’s oldest and best-known Chinese restaurants operating in the heart of the city. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister stated that the “reports are deeply concerning, and we take them extremely seriously. Any foreign country operating in Scotland must abide by Scottish law. The Scottish government fully supports individuals’ rights to freedom of expression.” In response to the existence of these “police stations” in the UK, the Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Alicia Kearns, who is also part of the China Research Group, has called on the Home Office to “launch an investigation to shed more light on the activities of these police stations and whether they are illegally operating in the UK.” CFHK Foundation believes the UK Government should go one step further than an investigation and order the Chinese embassy to shut them down. Just this week the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs did just that and orderedone operating in Dublin to close.
CFHK Foundation President, Mark Clifford, said:
“The fact that the CCP has set up their own “police stations” around the world is just incredible. It is estimated that that nearly a quarter of a million people have been “persuaded to return” to China since April 2021, meaning they have been intimidated and threatened to the point of returning out of fear for their lives or their families. That figure is shocking and these secret “police stations” play a fundamental role and must be stopped in their tracks immediately. By allowing the CCP to operate these types of institutions in their countries, international governments are complicit in Beijing’s actions. If the UK Government doesn’t act fast, it is putting Chinese and Hong Kongers lives at risk.”
About CFHK
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation presses for political and economic consequences for China’s failure to keep its promises to respect Hong Kong’s freedoms; supports the rule of law, freedom of expression, and the release of political prisoners; and urges the business community to stand against China’s assault on freedom and the danger it poses to Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre. Hong Kong’s fate is linked to the preservation of freedom, democracy, and international law in the region and around the world.
