{"id":237388,"date":"2022-01-20T19:27:54","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T03:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=237388"},"modified":"2022-01-27T16:53:47","modified_gmt":"2022-01-28T00:53:47","slug":"chinese-government-has-coerced-10000-fugitives-back-to-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2022\/01\/chinese-government-has-coerced-10000-fugitives-back-to-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese Government Has Coerced 10,000 \u201cFugitives\u201d Back to China"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week, NGO Safeguard Defenders released a report detailing the Chinese government\u2019s systematic and covert practice of forcing \u201cfugitives\u201d to return to China from overseas. The report is titled \u201c<\/span>INvoluntary Returns<\/span><\/a>,\u201d in reference to the coercive and often illegal means used to repatriate individuals against their will. Through dozens of case studies, the report demonstrates the extent of <\/span>China\u2019s transnational repression<\/span><\/a>, as well as the infringement on the sovereignty of foreign nations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An <\/span>introduction to the report<\/span><\/a> provides statistics on the government\u2019s operations. Since 2014, the Chinese government\u2019s overseas policing efforts have resulted in the return of over <\/span>10,000 individuals<\/span><\/a>, with the majority of these being involuntary returns. The annual figure increased each year until the pandemic began in 2020; since then, over 2,500 individuals have been forcibly repatriated to China. Very few individuals in these operations were returned through legal means: in 2018, for example, only one percent were returned through extradition. Helen Davidson from Guardian expanded on <\/span>the methods and scope of the operations<\/strong><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

The methods to force someone back to China, outside formal bilateral agreements on extradition and deportation, can range from refusing to renew a passport, to misusing the Interpol red notice system to have international warrants issued, the report said. They also include exit bans and intimidation of targets\u2019 family members in China, and in-person threats by Chinese agents operating on foreign soil. At the more extreme end of the scale are acts which Safeguard Defenders termed state-sanctioned kidnappings, but which Beijing calls \u201cirregular methods\u201d. These sometimes involved covert operations in conjunction with host country forces, the report said, or tricking the target into going to a third country where they could be extradited.<\/span><\/p>\n

Safeguard Defenders mapped 80 cases of attempted apprehension, of which it said about half were successful. It identified targets across dozens of countries, including the US, UK, and Australia.<\/span><\/p>\n

[…] Chinese authorities have publicly lauded the program, with a 2015 notice from the CCDI claiming more than 70 \u201cworking groups\u201d had been sent to 90 countries and regions, with the special operations \u201cfully supported by overseas law enforcement agencies, Chinese embassies and consulates abroad, and police liaison officers\u201d. [<\/span>Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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#SkyNet<\/a> is run by super-ministry #NSC<\/a> (2018) which – under official legal interpretation- may "kidnap, trap & capture 'fugitives'" anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n

Frequent methods also include harassment\/threats to family in #China<\/a> or directly to victim abroad without host State consent. pic.twitter.com\/wbfELLnqRL<\/a><\/p>\n

— Safeguard Defenders (\u4fdd\u62a4\u536b\u58eb) (@SafeguardDefend) January 18, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n