Dominic Raab summons Chinese ambassador after UK consulate worker Simon Cheng claims he was tortured

Rebecca Speare-Cole20 November 2019

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has summoned the Chinese ambassador after a former employee of the UK's Hong Kong consulate claimed he was tortured in China.

Simon Cheng, a Hong Kong citizen who worked for the UK government, made international headlines in August when he disappeared on a business trip to Shenzhen on the country's mainland.

The 29-year-old was detained for 15 days and has now told the BBC how he was shackled, blindfolded, hooded and beaten before being forced to sign confessions.

He also said he was accused of inciting political unrest in Hong Kong. Mr Raab has said he believes the allegations are “credible”.

Simon Cheng Man-kit was detained in China (facebook)

The Foreign Secretary said the Government was "shocked and appalled" by Mr Cheng's treatment which he believes "amounts to torture".

The Hong Kong citizen claimed his captors told him "they work for the secret service and that there are no human rights."

He also claimed the Chinese authorities accused Britain of supporting demonstrations in Hong Kong.

Unrest in the city state began in the summer with calls to scrap a now-suspended extradition bill, but have now widened to protest against the way Hong Kong is administered by Beijing.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab
EPA

The 29-year-old recalled: "They said I'm a state enemy and I'm a traitor, and also they asked whether the consulate instructed me to mingle with the protest.

"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," he added.

"I told them I want to make it 100 per cent clear, the UK didn't assign resources or help with the protests."

Mr Cheng described his ordeal, saying he was hung up from the chain linking the handcuffs on his wrists.

Interrogators also subjected him to sleep deprivation, making him sing the Chinese national anthem to stay awake, he claims.

A poster of Simon Cheng after he went missing on a business trip to China
AFP/Getty Images

He said he believed he was not the only person undergoing such treatment.

"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?'"​

Mr Raab said: "Simon Cheng was a valued member of our team.

"I summoned the Chinese Ambassador to express our outrage at the brutal and disgraceful treatment of Simon, in violation of China's international obligations.

"I have made clear we expect the Chinese authorities to investigate and hold those responsible to account."

Chinese state media have previously suggested that Mr Cheng was detained for soliciting a prostitute.

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