Chinese students in Britain live in fear from the ‘long arm of Chinese government’, a report warns today.
Students are being intimidated, harassed and silenced by Chinese authorities as part of a sinister pattern of ‘transnational repression’, according to Amnesty International.
Interviews with 32 students in eight countries, including the UK, reveal that many are being photographed and followed at university protests, leading to their families being threatened by police in China.
Almost a third of students said officials had harassed their families to prevent them from criticising the Chinese government or its policies while overseas.
Threats made to their families in China included the revoking of passports, having them fired from jobs, preventing promotions or limiting their physical freedom.
Chinese police have also pressured family members to cut off financial support to students.
Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s China director, said: ‘The testimonies gathered in this report paint a chilling picture of how the Chinese and Hong Kong governments seek to silence students even when they are thousands of miles from home, leaving many students living in fear.’
Source: dailimail.co.uk
