Former UK Consulate employee tortured in mainland China. Claimed Hong Kongers detained by Chinese secret police.

“I saw a bunch of Hong Kong people getting arrested and interrogated. I heard someone speak in Cantonese saying: 'Raise your hands up - you raised the flags in the protest didn’t you?'”

This is the recollection of Simon Cheng, a Hong Kong citizen arrested in Hong Kong and sent back to mainland China. Cheng was a trade and investment officer at the British Consulate in Hong Kong. In June this year, Cheng became one of the staff that volunteered for an additional role offered by the British Consulate to collect information about the status of the Hong Kong protests. On 8 August 2019, as he returned from a business conference in Shenzhen, China, he was arrested by Chinese authorities on a high-speed rail link after it crossed the border into Hong Kong. He was sent back to Shenzhen and put on administrative detention by the Chinese police for 15 days on the charge of prostitute solicitation. Cheng was released after he was allegedly forced to make a false confession, and has since then resigned from his job. He is now seeking asylum as he fears for his own safety.

According to Cheng, people self-identified as secret services told him “there are no human rights” before starting the torture, making him hold stress positions for hours, such as squatting against a wall, and beating his vulnerable body parts such as ankles. “They wanted to know what role the UK had in the Hong Kong protests - they asked what support, money and equipment we were giving to the protesters,” said Cheng. Both Cheng and the #UK government claim his task of collecting information about the Hong Kong protests was purely to observe and not to interfere in any way.

Mainland China was supposed to honour the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle. Yet citizens of Hong Kong have allegedly been routinely detained in or even sent back to China on seemingly dubious charges. No one can be truly safe, even when you are within the borders of Hong Kong.

Full Article: John Sudworth, BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50457262
Further reading: An Enemy of the State - Simon Cheung
https://t.co/ptIXzfay7T

#OneCountryTwoSystems #Torture #SimonCheung #UKConsulate

Police Disproportionate use of power in Yau Ma Tei

Editor’s note: Thousands of protestors clashed with police in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Yau Ma Tei and Jordan in an attempt to buy time and make way for protestors trapped in PolyU to evacuate

(18 Nov) A riot police office was seen in the beginning of the video using his baton to beat up a subdued protester seven times while the protester did not resist. He did not stop until one of his teammates approached to signal him away. A series of bullets firing sounds could be heard at the background but it was not clear what type of weapons had been used.

Source: 傑出男公關
https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=439243213457934&_rdr

#PoliceBrutality #Torture #PolyUSeige

#Newspaper

Wife of Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng: (My) Husband Was Secretly Sentenced and Inter-Provincially Imprisoned. The Law in China Is Merely “On Paper”.

(24 Jun) Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng, who assisted the arrestees of "709 Mass Arrests," was sentenced to four years in prison by the Xuzhou City Intermediate People's Court in China for "inciting subversion of state power”.

In an interview with The Stand News, Xu Yan, the wife of Yu Wensheng, criticized Chinese law is merely well-developed “on paper”, while it breached the legal system to “secretly sentence” her husband without even noticing his family and defence attorney in advance. Xu has met with officials from seven countries to ensure her husband's right to appeal and his right to see his family.

As a Beijing native, Xu was detained in Jiangsu Province in Xuzhou, which is 1600 km away from Beijing. Since Yu was arrested the year before last, Xu has been going to Xuzhou once every 20 days to petition and defend human rights, spending more than 100,000 Chinese Yuan on train tickets, food and accommodation, but she has not been able to see her husband. Despite facing all kinds of hardships, she persevered, “because I believe that my husband is innocent”.

//the law in China “on paper” is well-developed, where the constitution provides human rights such as freedom of speech, but since the case of Yu, she has not received any indictment and verdict, even a trial was held without informing his family or lawyers.

//she was held in a police station for 19 hours without food or water, and was once interrogated in a torture "tiger chair", unable to move for nine hours.

//what happened at home has hurt her son deeply, “He locks the door as soon as he gets home and sleeps in a tent, feeling insecure”

Full translation:
https://telegra.ph/Wife-of-Chinese-human-rights-lawyer-Yu-Wensheng-My-Husband-Was-Secretly-Sentenced-and-Inter-Provincially-Imprisoned-The-Law-in-C-07-07

Source: Stand News
https://bit.ly/3f4fpe3
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo

Further reading:
Seized by the Police, an Outspoken Chinese Professor Sees Fears Come True
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/world/asia/china-detains-xu-zhangrun-critic.html

#humanrights #laywer #CCP #RuleOfLaw #NationalSecurityLaw #Torture #YuWensheng #709MassArrest

#Save12HKYouths #HumanitarianCrisis
Hong Kong police arrest 9 more people suspected of aiding fleeing activists; families worry the arrests are result of Torture and "Secret Interrogation" by China

On the morning of Oct 10, 2020, HK police arrested 4 men and 5 women suspected of arranging transport for 12 Hongkongers who were arrested by Chinese authorities in late August at sea and were detained in China since then.

The 12 Honhkongers are believed to be pro-demoracy activists in the Anti-ELAB movement in Hong Kong. They have been detained in Shenzhen, Chins after Chinese Coastal Guard intercepted their boat and accused them of illegal border crossing in late August.

Hong Kong Policd's senior superintendent Ho Chun-tung, in charge of organised crime and triad bureau, said they believed the 9 arrestees, aged between 27 and 72, are friends of the 12 Hongkongers detained in China.

The 9 people were reportedly involved in "funding the operation, providing a boat, and providing transportation and accommodation".

Meanwhile, family members of the 12 detainees raised grave concern. They suspected that the authorities might have tortured their loved to extract information. In a statement released by the "Save 12 Hong Kong Youths" concern group on Oct 10, they suspected HK police’s arrests of the 9 people could be the result of the "secret interrogation" undertaken by Chinese authorities.

The concern group condemned the police for colluding with Chinese authorities and diverting public attention.

The group had previously pointed out that the HK police might be involved in the arrest of the 12 Hongkongers by tracking and giving away geographical position to the Chinese authorities.

When being asked whether HK Police were aware of the "escape plan" of the 12 Hongkongers and whether they have a hand in the arrest operation, the senior superintendent refused to answer.

Source: Stand News; Apple Daily #Oct10
https://bit.ly/36W48LL

#Collusion #SecretInterrogation #Torture

#JoshuaWong Reveals Abuse of Pro-Democracy Student in HK's Prison Before Own Trial

Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong will stand trial on November 23, 2020 with fellow activists Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam. The three might face immediate imprisonment after appearing in court.

One day before the trial, Wong continued to call on the public and the international community to pay attention to the fight for democracy in Hong Kong.

In a Facebook post, Joshua Wong revealed an abuse case of a pro-democracy student in prison by a correctional officer.

Wong was informed that Tony Chung Hon-lam, a student activist and convener of #StudentLocalism who was arrested on National Security charges, went through unreasonable corporal punishment while detained in Pik Uk Correctional Institution. 

Without any explanation, the staff demanded him to march for over four hours. Chung was exhausted to a point of having stomach cramps, and yet was still ordered to continue marching.

The correctional services officer Hyun Nga-tat, a Grade One Correctional Officer, is known to have commiited similar abuses. Hyun was infamous for abusing pro-democracy protesters under detention: He once forced those singing "Glory to Hong Kong" to slap themselves.  

Joshua Wong ended the post by writing:

"Although there's a chance I could be imprisoned starting from tomorrow, my Facebook page will continue running. 

I encourage whistleblowers to supply further information, and hope Yuen Long District councillors could arrange visits to Tony Chung. I believe his lawyer would also be visiting him at a later time.

I solemnly call on the Correctional Services Department to handle the matter seriously.  Tolerating intentional abuse by lower-level correctional staff against political prisoners will only bring public condemnation.  It has been half a year since abuses in prison came to light. Having it happened again would certainly reignite public anger, and may even lead to legal consequences."

Source: Joshua Wong's Facebook #Nov22
https://www.facebook.com/200976479994868/posts/3528039040621912/

#CorrectionalServices #PikUk #Torture #PoliceState #HongKongPrison
=====
Related News:

Correctional Officers Abuse Pro-Democracy Protesters in Prison
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/20575

#FreeAgnes
#AgnesChow Shares her Feelings on Social Media Before Trial
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/26866

#AsiasFinest #FailedState #Court
Hong Kong Police Deny Having Tortured Hospitalized Elderly Despite Captured by Surveillance Camera

Three Hong Kong police officers were arrested for torturing a 62-year-old man at North District Hospital in June 2019.

They were charged with "misconduct in public office" and "alternate assaults occasioning actual bodily harm". Two of them pled guilty and are remanded in custody. The third officer Lam Yik-sing pled not guilty to the charges and continued to represent himself in court.

Lam argued that what he saw in the ward on that day was different from the surveillance camera footage. Judge Chan Chung-hang questioned Lam if he was talking about a different angle and challenged him, “are you saying that the surveillance camera footage was fake?” Then, Lam clarified that he referred to a different angle.

Watch the Footage: https://youtu.be/g7RMu-wMRhk

Source: Stand News #Nov25
https://www.thestandnews.com/court/%E6%B6%89%E5%8C%97%E5%8D%80%E9%86%AB%E9%99%A2%E8%99%90%E6%89%93%E8%A2%AB%E6%8D%95%E9%95%B7%E8%80%85-%E4%BE%BF%E8%A1%A3%E8%AD%A6%E7%A8%B1%E7%97%85%E6%88%BF%E6%89%80%E8%A6%8B%E8%88%87%E9%96%89%E8%B7%AF%E9%9B%BB%E8%A6%96%E4%B8%8D%E5%90%8C-%E5%AE%98-%E4%BD%A0%E5%94%94%E4%BF%82%E6%83%B3%E8%AC%9B-cctv-%E4%BF%82%E5%81%87%E5%91%80/

#PoliceState #Assault #Torture #NorthDistrictHospital

#HumanitarianCrisis #Genocide
#AmnestyInternational: #China has "created a dystopian hellscape on a staggering scale" in #Xinjiang

//“The Chinese authorities have created a dystopian hellscape on a staggering scale in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Muslim minorities face crimes against humanity and other serious human rights violations that threaten to erase their religious and cultural identities."

“It should shock the conscience of humanity that massive numbers of people have been subjected to brainwashing, torture and other degrading treatment in internment camps, while millions more live in fear amid a vast surveillance apparatus.”

From the moment they entered the prison-like internment camps, detainees’ lives were extraordinarily regimented. They had no privacy or autonomy, and they faced harsh punishments – sometimes collectively with their cellmates – for trivial disobedience. Internees were forbidden to speak freely to each other, and they were severely punished when they responded to prison guards or other officials in their native tongues instead of Mandarin. Every activity in the detainees’ daily routine was pre-ordained and their behaviour was constantly monitored and evaluated....

Every former detainee Amnesty International interviewed suffered torture or other ill-treatment.

This included the cumulative psychological effect of their daily dehumanization, as well as physical torture in the form of beatings, electric shocks, solitary confinement, deprivation of food, water and sleep, exposure to extreme cold, and the abusive use of restraints, including torture tools like tiger chairs. Some reported being restrained in a tiger chair for 24 hours or more...

The Chinese government has gone to extraordinary lengths to cover up its violations of international human rights law in Xinjiang. Authorities threaten, detain and mistreat anyone who speaks out...//

Read full article:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/06/china-draconian-repression-of-muslims-in-xinjiang-amounts-to-crimes-against-humanity/

Source: Amnesty International #Jun10

Image by Molly Crabapple

#Uyghurs #ConcentrationCamp #CCP #AgainstHumanity #Torture #Rape #MassSurveillance

#Genocide
'Some are just #psychopaths': Chinese detective in exile reveals extent of torture against #Uyghurs

//The ex-detective turned #whistleblower asked to be identified only as Jiang, to protect his family members who remain in China.

In a three-hour interview with CNN, conducted in Europe where he is now in exile, Jiang revealed rare details on what he described as a systematic campaign of torture against ethnic Uyghurs in the region's detention camp system, claims China has denied for years.

"Kick them, beat them (until they're) bruised and swollen," Jiang said, recalling how he and his colleagues used to interrogate detainees in police detention centers. "Until they kneel on the floor crying."

The methods included shackling people to a metal or wooden "tiger chair" -- chairs designed to immobilize suspects -- hanging people from the ceiling, sexual violence, electrocutions, and waterboarding. Inmates were often forced to stay awake for days, and denied food and water, he said.

"Everyone uses different methods. Some even use a wrecking bar, or iron chains with locks," Jiang said. "Police would step on the suspect's face and tell him to confess."

The suspects were accused of terror offenses, said Jiang, but he believes that "none" of the hundreds of prisoners he was involved in arresting had committed a crime. "They are ordinary people," he said.//

//...During the routine overnight operations, Jiang said they would be given lists of names of people to round up, as part of orders to meet official quotas on the numbers of Uyghurs to detain.

"It's all planned, and it has a system," Jiang said. "Everyone needs to hit a target."

If anyone resisted arrest, the police officers would "hold the gun against his head and say do not move. If you move, you will be killed."

He said teams of police officers would also search people's houses and download the data from their computers and phones.

Another tactic was to use the area's neighborhood committee to call the local population together for a meeting with the village chief, before detaining them en masse.

Describing the time as a "combat period," Jiang said officials treated Xinjiang like a war zone, and police officers were told that Uyghurs were enemies of the state.

He said it was common knowledge among police officers that 900,000 Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities were detained in the region in a single year.

Jiang said if he had resisted the process, he would have been arrested, too.

Inside the police detention centers, the main goal was to extract a confession from detainees, with sexual torture being one of the tactics, Jiang said.

"If you want people to confess, you use the electric baton with two sharp tips on top," Jiang said. "We would tie two electrical wires on the tips and set the wires on their genitals while the person is tied up."

He admitted he often had to play "bad cop" during interrogations but said he avoided the worst of the violence, unlike some of his colleagues.

"Some people see this as a job, some are just psychopaths," he said.

One "very common measure" of torture and dehumanization was for guards to order prisoners to rape and abuse the new male inmates, Jiang said.//

Read the full article:
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/04/china/xinjiang-detective-torture-intl-hnk-dst/index.html

Source: CNN #Oct4

#Torture #Rape #GangRape #HumanitarianCrisis #Chinazi #ConcentrationCamp #Xinjiang
#Astrocity