‘Simply untrue’: China denies allegations of running ‘illegal’ police station in Netherlands

Amid accusations of running illegal overseas police stations in several countries, including the Netherlands, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said these allegations are “simply untrue”.

This comes after a human rights group report published last monthand the recent statement by the Dutch foreign ministry which is reportedly in the midst of investigating these allegations. Reports suggest that these illegal police stations are being used to harass dissidents and bring them back to Beijing.

ALSO READ:China has opened illegal police stations in several countries across the world: Report

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However, the foreign ministry spokesperson denied these allegations and said they were “Chinese service centres”, helping people who could not return home during the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, he stated that the security officials in these stations are “strictly observing international laws and are “fully respecting the judicial sovereignty of other countries”.

Meanwhile, the Dutch foreign ministry has stated that since the Chinese government “never informed” them about these centres through diplomatic channels, it makes them “illegal”. They also told AFP that the ministry “is now investigating the activities of the so-called police centres.”

ALSO READ:China accused of operating two illegal police stations in the Netherlands by the Dutch government

The report titled, "110 Overseas: Chinese Transnational Policing Gone Wild,” published bySafeguard Defenders, a Spain-based human rights NGO said that China has opened54 such stationsin 30 countries, includingEurope, the UK, the US, Canada and Ireland.

(With inputs from agencies)

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