London

British politician Tim Loughton has said that he was detained and deported from the Eastern African country of Djibouti earlier in April due to his criticism of China. Djibouti has close ties with China and has received billions of dollars of investment from Beijing. 

Loughton, a Tory MP, is one of the seven parliamentarians sanctioned by Beijing in 2021 over what it called the spreading of lies and disinformation about human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

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According to a report by The Telegraph on Sunday (Apr 28), Loughton, 61, was in Djibouti on April 8 for a 24-hour visit including meeting the British ambassador. However, the Tory MP told The Telegraph that he was detained for over seven hours at the airport, barred entry to the country and told he was being removed on the next available flight.

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Reacting to the detention and deportation, Loughton said this was the latest example of  intimidation that the seven sanctioned parliamentarians have suffered over the last three years.

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What happened at the airport?

Loughton said that he arrived at the airport in Djibouti at midday, and like other travellers, was preparing to collect his visa. “As soon as I revealed I was a British MP, and my passport was checked, things turned decidedly frosty,” the 61-year-old said.

Loughton added that he was held for an hour without any explanation in the arrivals hall after all the other travellers sailed through border control. The Tory MP was then taken into a holding room where he was locked in and detained alone for three hours. 

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A delegation of three officers, including the head of the border immigration service, told him that he would not be allowed into Djibouti, and would be put on the next plane out of the country. 

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He was escorted across the airport tarmac to wait in the departure lounge for an evening flight to Dubai. Loughton also said that he was not given a reason for his detention and deportation.

China reacts

A spokesperson from the Chinese embassy (in Djibouti) said that the allegations that Loughton was detained due to his criticism of China were purely baseless, The Telegraph further reported on Sunday.

The spokesperson said that the allegations were fabricated and slanderous rhetoric that attempts to smear China and damage Beijing-London relations. 

(With inputs from agencies)