suspect ‘overseas Chinese police stations’

There are few extraditions and many people who return “spontaneously” to turn themselves in. In many cases, they are public officials accused of corruption. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, pressure continues on the families of the eight “wanted” pro-democracy activists after taking refuge abroad. A pro-Beijing lawmaker was detained for questioning because he was related to one of the fugitives.

Beijing ( / Agencies) – In the first half of the year, the Chinese police arrested 582 fugitives. The head office dedicated to the search for fugitives boasts of this figure in a report and further maintains that it successfully recovered stolen goods with an estimated value of 1,932,000 million yuan, more than 240,000 million euros.

The report highlights in particular the arrest, on June 10, of Guo Jiefang, former head of the traffic department of the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau. The 70-year-old man fled abroad in March 2000 after being accused of taking bribes along with others. Guo Jiefang was listed among the 100 most dangerous fugitives reported by the People’s Republic of China to Interpol. It is worth mentioning that the subject returned “spontaneously” to China to turn himself in.

This mode of delivery arouses suspicion among human rights defenders, since they link the figures to dozens of Chinese “secret police stations” operating on foreign soil, and which were exposed in several journalistic investigations in recent months. Previous official data published in September by the newspaper People’s Daily show that of the people detained in the last five years thanks to the “Skynet” operation, only 45 were extradited from abroad. Instead, there are 328 who were simply “repatriated” – a definition that leaves open many questions about Chinese police activities abroad.

Meanwhile, the pressure is on the eight activists from the pro-democracy movement expatriate to Britain, the US and Australia for political reasons. A week ago, Hong Kong issued arrest warrants for all of them under the National Security Law. The investigation against Nathan Law expands: a few days ago, his family was taken from his home in the early hours of the morning to be questioned. In the same situation are the children of Elmer Yuen, a 74-year-old businessman and activist who lives in the United States. In addition to his daughter Mimi Mi Wahng Yuen and his brother Derek, the latter’s wife, Eunice Yung, was questioned by Hong Kong police this morning. The woman is also a member of the Legislative Council representing a pro-Beijing party and last year she had publicly distanced herself from her mother-in-law. She is accused of helping people wanted by the police “to continue to commit acts and participate in activities that endanger national security.”