The Spanish non-governmental organization Safeguard Defenders, responsible for publishing in September the report revealing the existence of “police service centers” maintained by Beijing in several countries, announced that it had identified another 48 Chinese “illegal police stations” in Europe.
In a report published this Monday, the Madrid-based organization pointed out that, of the 48 centers recently identified, 11 are located on Italian territory, in the cities of Rome, Milan, Bolzano, Venice, Florence, Sicily and Prato, the latter a town near Florence, which is home to the largest Chinese community in Italy.
Police stations were also identified in Croatia, Serbia and Romania, says The Guardian.
In September, Safeguard Defenders accused China of maintaining fifty “police service centers” in various countries, which will have persuaded 230,000 suspected fugitives to return to China between April 2021 and July 2022. Three of these “police stations illegal” would work in Portugal.
Public Ministry investigates case of “Chinese police stations” in Portugal
At the end of October, the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) reported that investigations were underway by the Central Directorate for Criminal Investigation and Action (DCIAP) into the operation of the Beijing police stations in the country. The Netherlands also announced the opening of an investigation into the existence of two centers in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
At a press conference, the spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenbin, explained that the structures “are, in fact, service centers for Chinese abroad”, which serve to support “a large number of citizens ” who are unable to return to China due to the Covid-19 pandemic, for example, to renew Chinese driver’s licenses, Wang said.
The spokesman added that the Chinese authorities are “fully committed to fighting transnational crimes in accordance with the law, strictly observing international law and fully respecting the judicial sovereignty of other countries.”
Source: Observadora
