Ordeal of Scots envoy tortured by Chinese secret agents
He was arrested, blindfolded and beaten with spiked batons
A FORMER Scottish trade official detained in China has revealed he was tortured by secret police.
Simon Cheng, a Hong Kong citizen who worked for the UK Government, claimed he was detained, handcuffed, assaulted and accused of being a ‘British spy’.
He also alleges that the Chinese government thought he was involved in the apparent UK backing of democracy protests that have brought violence to the streets of Hong Kong.
Mr Cheng says he was left in windowless interrogation rooms, forced into standing and squatting positions and beaten if he moved from them.
He also says he was forced to identify others who may be in the pro-democracy movement after the British Consulate, where he worked, instructed staff to collect information on the protests – routine surveillance for foreign staff abroad.
Mr Cheng, 28, a trade and investment officer in the consulate’s Scottish Development International section, was detained while crossing from the Chinese city of Shenzhen into Hong Kong on August 8.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Mr Cheng was given 15 days of administrative detention for ‘violating the law’.
But speaking to the BBC, Mr Cheng said: ‘They said they
‘Shackled and hooded’
worked for the secret service and that there are no human rights. Then they started the torture. I was shackled, blindfolded and hooded.
‘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. They would beat the bony parts, like my ankles... or any vulnerable part.’
Mr Cheng was placed in a detention centre and put in a ‘tiger chair’ – a metal seat with bars that restricts movement. He was prevented from wearing his glasses.
He said his captors ordered him to squat and hold other fixed positions for hours. If he moved, they would beat his knees with spiked batons.
Mr Cheng claims he was subjected to sleep deprivation and his interrogators made him sing the Chinese national anthem.
He said his interrogators made him record two video confessions – one for the ‘betrayal of the motherland’ and another for ‘soliciting prostitution’.
His revelations have forced Foreign Secretary Dominic
Raab to summon the Chinese ambassador to explain the situation. In a statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Mr Raab said: ‘Simon Cheng was a valued member of our team.
‘We were appalled by the mistreatment he suffered in detention, which amounts to torture. I have made clear we expect the Chinese authorities to investigate. The FCO is working to support Simon and his fiancée, including to come to the UK.’
Scottish External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: ‘I am appalled at the horrendous treatment suffered by Simon.
‘Simon was a valued member of the Scottish Development International team. As he was employed by the FCO, we have liaised closely with the UK Government.’