Taiwanese NGOs raise concern over China's cross-border repression

Taipei [Taiwan], December 14 : On International Human Rights Day in 2022, Taiwanese civic groups called on the Taiwan government to raise concerns over China's cross-border repression, reported money.udn.com.
As a democratic country with a relatively open and stable civic space in the region, Taiwan should take the initiative to establish a mechanism to accept regional human rights defenders and civic organizations, said the Taiwanese NGOs.
Taiwanese non-governmental organizations held a press conference to focus on the issue of cross-border repression in mainland China and called for the establishment of a refugee asylum mechanism that meets international standards.
A press conference titled "Human Rights Diehards. Collaboration with the Democratic Alliance. Rejecting Cross-border Suppression" was held today in Taipei, co-organized by the Taiwan Association for the Promotion of Human Rights, Defenders, Tibet-Taiwan Human Rights Connection, and Taiwan-Hong Kong Frontier Town Youth, reported money.udn.com.
Chen Jingjie, an initiative and research specialist of Defenders, pointed out at the meeting that cross-border repression refers to the expansion of the authoritarian government's influence abroad, and the persecution of individuals and specific groups through legal and illegal means.
Defenders observed that China especially prefers to arrest targets through cross-border suppression of persecution after returning to China.
Chen Jingjie said that when more and more countries realize the problem of China's cross-border repression, investigate China's influence outside China and try to strengthen their own democratic defence mechanisms, Taiwan has the responsibility to stand with other democratic countries, reported money.udn.com.
He said that the specific actions should be to investigate the United Front Work Department organization supported by the Chinese government and its actions, especially in Taiwan, and against overseas Taiwanese; Everyone with the totalitarian government and the tactics of foreign repression.
Chen Jingjie also said that Taiwan should also actively expand mutual legal assistance agreements with other countries. When a case involves a Taiwanese citizen, it can use this mechanism to effectively refuse the extradition of the person to China.
Li Mingzhe, a Taiwanese NGO worker who has been imprisoned by China for five years, said that after the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Nancy Pelosi) finished her visit to Taiwan, in addition to intimidating Taiwan's cultural attacks, China also announced that it would pursue criminal justice against those who advocated Taiwan's independence. Responsibility, reported money.udn.com.
He believed, "This means that in the future, assuming that Taiwanese are regarded as "Taiwan independence" by China, even if you do not enter Chinese territory, or transit at a Chinese airport, but the country you travel to has signed a bilateral extradition agreement with China or Hong Kong, it will not matter. He may be extradited to China for trial because of China's extradition application to that country."
Li Mingzhe said that this is a matter that seriously suppresses Taiwan's sovereignty and damages the rights and interests of Taiwanese people. He hopes that the Taiwan government will respond early.
He also called on the Taiwan government to use any international organizations or occasions it can participate in to bring the issue of human rights protection to the international arena, reported money.udn.com.
Yang Liying, a researcher at the Association for the Future of Asian Citizens, said that as the space for civics in the region shrinks, cases of cross-border repression continue to increase.