Four Danish critics of China, including two members of parliament, say that the Danish Police Intelligence Service (PET) has warned them against traveling to countries from where they may risk being extradited to China, writes Danish daily Jyllands Posten. The four individuals helped in various ways to get former Hong Kong opposition lawmaker Ted Hui to Denmark in December, from where he went into exile in England.
Amongst the four individuals is chairman of the cross-political Danish China-Critical Society, Thomas Rohden who confirms that he was contacted by PET in February regarding the travel warning. Thomas Rohden states that he believes the warning shows just how aggressively China goes after its opponents, considering the warning against a “ small fish like me”.
“I have chosen to speak openly about the pressure on me as an individual because there is a need for a critical debate on how China is trying to silence critics to death with all sorts of bullying methods,” Thomas Rohden said.
Anders Storgaard, conservative youth politician, Uffe Elbæk from the Danish left-wing political party, Independent Greens, and Katarina Ammitzbøll (K) states that they have received a similar call from PET.
PET does not wish to comment on the content of the security warnings and Danish daily Jyllands-Posten has unsuccessfully tried to get the security authority in Hong Kong, Security Bureau, to confirm or deny whether they are working on an actual prosecution of the Danes who helped Ted Hui. The bureau writes, however, that “no one is above the law” and that the agency will prosecute and investigate people “anywhere” who have broken the law by aiding Ted Huis’ evasion of the Hong Kong judiciary.
In a written response to Jyllands Posten, Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod states that he in confidence keeps the Foreign Policy Board informed about the Ted Hui case and works to “completely avoid legal action in the case”.
The Chinese embassy in Copenhagen has not returned Jyllands-Posten’s inquiry.
