‘No remedy, no rights’: China blocks foreigners from leaving
China has been abusing exit bans to block foreign citizens, including those of the U.S., Australia and Canada, from leaving China, even though most of the detained foreigners have not been convicted of any crimes in China. Foreign citizens or permanent residents are held hostages by the Chinese authorities to coerce their overseas relatives who are accused of committing crimes to return to China.
Investigations by the Associated Press revealed that people only found out they were banned from leaving China at the last moment. They were detained for an undetermined period without formal charges or any possibility of an appeal.
"This is shocking and unacceptable behaviour by the Chinese government and a clear violation of international law," said U.S. Congressman James McGovern.
In this heartrending story, Mandy Luo was effectively orphaned when both of her parents were blocked from leaving China after a family visit. She was only 16. She had been living in solitude for almost three years before her mother finally returned to their home in Seattle this April. Her dad Mr. Hsu, however, is still under an exit ban unless Hsu's father returns to China for the prosecution of alleged corruption. Mandy's family is split by the CCP and there is still no light at the end of the tunnel.
This is reminiscent of the kidnapping of the Swedish citizen Gui Minhai and the secret detention of the former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei. All these cases show that China constantly violates international laws and poses an increasingly serious global threat to individual freedoms.
#Freedom #China #US #Hostage #Canada #Australia
Sources:
Associated Press, 5 May
US couple’s nightmare: Held in China, away from daughter
https://apnews.com/0f2999a39280d13c5e220e8a4b8d30cb
Associated Press, 5 May
‘No remedy, no rights’: China blocks foreigners from leaving
https://apnews.com/5d59ce2a8442d6511cb9e7d8a3494679
China has been abusing exit bans to block foreign citizens, including those of the U.S., Australia and Canada, from leaving China, even though most of the detained foreigners have not been convicted of any crimes in China. Foreign citizens or permanent residents are held hostages by the Chinese authorities to coerce their overseas relatives who are accused of committing crimes to return to China.
Investigations by the Associated Press revealed that people only found out they were banned from leaving China at the last moment. They were detained for an undetermined period without formal charges or any possibility of an appeal.
"This is shocking and unacceptable behaviour by the Chinese government and a clear violation of international law," said U.S. Congressman James McGovern.
In this heartrending story, Mandy Luo was effectively orphaned when both of her parents were blocked from leaving China after a family visit. She was only 16. She had been living in solitude for almost three years before her mother finally returned to their home in Seattle this April. Her dad Mr. Hsu, however, is still under an exit ban unless Hsu's father returns to China for the prosecution of alleged corruption. Mandy's family is split by the CCP and there is still no light at the end of the tunnel.
This is reminiscent of the kidnapping of the Swedish citizen Gui Minhai and the secret detention of the former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei. All these cases show that China constantly violates international laws and poses an increasingly serious global threat to individual freedoms.
#Freedom #China #US #Hostage #Canada #Australia
Sources:
Associated Press, 5 May
US couple’s nightmare: Held in China, away from daughter
https://apnews.com/0f2999a39280d13c5e220e8a4b8d30cb
Associated Press, 5 May
‘No remedy, no rights’: China blocks foreigners from leaving
https://apnews.com/5d59ce2a8442d6511cb9e7d8a3494679
AP NEWS
US couple's nightmare: Held in China, away from daughter
SHANGHAI (AP) — The first thing Daniel Hsu noticed about the room was that there were no sharp edges...
Canadians interrogated in China are the “ bargaining chips” used by China for the latest hostage diplomacy deal to free Ms Meng Wanzhou
After the 18th month of their detention, two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were accused of espionage by China. Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Spavor, a businessman, were arrested in 2018 shortly after Meng Wanzhou – an executive of China’s state controlled giant Huawei – was detained under US request. The two men have not been able to meet with their lawyer or their families since their arbitrary detention. Instead, they were allegedly exposed to interrogation for six to eight hours a day and exposed to 24-hour artificial lighting.
In comparison, Ms. Meng, according to herself, finally had time to read a book and carefully finish an oil painting. To make things worse, China’s state-controlled court system has an almost 100% conviction rate.
Meanwhile, China constantly implies the fate of the two Canadians are linked to the outcome of Meng’s case. A Chinese journalist even claimed that Canada failed to realize Meng was worth 10 – if not more – Kovrig & Spavor, further exposing the nature of this hostage diplomacy. Behind it is the Han chauvinism and ultranationalism cultivated by the Chinese Communist Party over the years.
The ideology is deeply rooted in imperial China’s world view in which it sees itself the centre of the world for the rest to #kowtow to, sees its renewal as China become increasingly convinced of its uprising power.
#China #Canada #Huawei #MengWanZhou #Hostage
Source:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-huaweis-meng-far-more-valuable-than-canadas-kovrig-and-spavor/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-asia-china-53104303?__twitter_impression=true
After the 18th month of their detention, two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were accused of espionage by China. Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Spavor, a businessman, were arrested in 2018 shortly after Meng Wanzhou – an executive of China’s state controlled giant Huawei – was detained under US request. The two men have not been able to meet with their lawyer or their families since their arbitrary detention. Instead, they were allegedly exposed to interrogation for six to eight hours a day and exposed to 24-hour artificial lighting.
In comparison, Ms. Meng, according to herself, finally had time to read a book and carefully finish an oil painting. To make things worse, China’s state-controlled court system has an almost 100% conviction rate.
Meanwhile, China constantly implies the fate of the two Canadians are linked to the outcome of Meng’s case. A Chinese journalist even claimed that Canada failed to realize Meng was worth 10 – if not more – Kovrig & Spavor, further exposing the nature of this hostage diplomacy. Behind it is the Han chauvinism and ultranationalism cultivated by the Chinese Communist Party over the years.
The ideology is deeply rooted in imperial China’s world view in which it sees itself the centre of the world for the rest to #kowtow to, sees its renewal as China become increasingly convinced of its uprising power.
#China #Canada #Huawei #MengWanZhou #Hostage
Source:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-huaweis-meng-far-more-valuable-than-canadas-kovrig-and-spavor/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-asia-china-53104303?__twitter_impression=true
The Globe and Mail
Huawei’s Meng far more valuable than Canada’s Kovrig and Spavor, Chinese journalist says
Deleted tweet by Chen Weihua, the European Union bureau chief for the China Daily, reflects Beijing’s new 'Wolf Warrior' tone in foreign affairs
#Newspaper
Australian citizen detained in China amid increasing tensions between Canberra and Beijing
//An Australian citizen who works as a TV anchor for a Chinese state-controlled broadcaster has been detained as tensions between Canberra and Beijing escalate.
//It is highly unusual for foreign journalists to be detained in China.
//“It’s very hard to see where the sensitivity is, and where she may have overstepped any red lines around political sensitivities in China.”
//“In the absence of evidence, the only conclusion we can come to is that she is being used as a hostage in a wider diplomatic spat between Australia and China,
//Amid deteriorating relations, Australia currently warns its citizens they may be at increased risk of arbitrary detention in mainland China.
//In the months since Australia pushed for an international inquiry into China’s handling of Covid-19, China has increased tariffs on Australian barley, citing dumping, and banned imports from some abattoirs over alleged compliance issues.
Full Article: The Guardian
#Australiancitizen #detained #China #hostage #Covid19
Australian citizen detained in China amid increasing tensions between Canberra and Beijing
//An Australian citizen who works as a TV anchor for a Chinese state-controlled broadcaster has been detained as tensions between Canberra and Beijing escalate.
//It is highly unusual for foreign journalists to be detained in China.
//“It’s very hard to see where the sensitivity is, and where she may have overstepped any red lines around political sensitivities in China.”
//“In the absence of evidence, the only conclusion we can come to is that she is being used as a hostage in a wider diplomatic spat between Australia and China,
//Amid deteriorating relations, Australia currently warns its citizens they may be at increased risk of arbitrary detention in mainland China.
//In the months since Australia pushed for an international inquiry into China’s handling of Covid-19, China has increased tariffs on Australian barley, citing dumping, and banned imports from some abattoirs over alleged compliance issues.
Full Article: The Guardian
#Australiancitizen #detained #China #hostage #Covid19
the Guardian
Australian citizen detained in China amid increasing tensions between Canberra and Beijing
The foreign minister, Marise Payne, says the Australian government was notified in mid-August that Cheng Lei had been detained