Dozens of secret police stations have been established by China in foreign countries, a report by a human rights watchdog says. Monitoring dissidents and persuading them to be back to China are the main task of these stations. One of these Chinese police stations is in New York City.
The Chinese Communist Party has opened 54 police stations worldwide, according to Safeguard Defenders, a human rights watchdog. These stations are established in 30 countries including the US.
Secret Stations Monitor Dissidents
Opened in New York on February 15 this year, the secret station is located on East Broadway between Chinatown and the Lower East Side.
The office is on top of a ramen shop ad next to an acupuncturist where a receptionist was shocked to hear that it was a secret police station, according to Daily Mail that visited the office.
Over 2,00,000 Chinese Nationals Persuaded To Return Home
The Chinese station was closed and locals confirmed that it opens seldom. China launched the program to establish secret stations in foreign countries in April 2021. Since the beginning of the program, Chinese officials have successfully persuaded over 2,00,000 nationals to return home.
China Uses Torture Tactics On Dissidents
According to the CCP, these stations are aimed to monitor fraud and telecom fraud being committed by citizens living in abroad.
Laura Harth, Safeguard Defenders' campaign manager, stated that these police stations are clear clearly shows how brazen the CCP is getting and they have no regard for other governments.
"It's in violation of international law, it's in violation of territorial sovereign. Obviously this shows how unaware, how naive certain governments are, or choose to be at this stage. European authorities are severely lacking in awareness and willingness to act on or even look into it," Harth told Fox News.
She also highlighted that the repression campaign is part of China's transnational policing. With such police stations, China aims to silence dissidents and makes sure that people remain scared of the CCP.
To make sure that dissidents go back to China, the CCP even threatens and intimidates their family members in China, according to the Safeguard Defenders. If dissidents refuse to return home, the CCP will ensure that their children do not attend school and that their family members' bank accounts remain frozen.
Read more
