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Simon Cheng: former British consulate worker detained in Shenzhen claims he was tortured by Chinese police

  • Simon Cheng says he was shackled, blindfolded, beaten during 15 days of detention
  • Britain ‘outraged’ but Beijing maintains he broke the law by hiring a prostitute

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Simon Cheng was reported missing in August. Photo: AFP

Former British consulate employee Simon Cheng, who was detained by mainland authorities for 15 days in August after visiting Shenzhen, has claimed he was tortured and pressed for information about activists in Hong Kong’s anti-government protests.

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The 29-year-old Hongkonger said he was now no longer in the city and in a “vulnerable position”, having received little support over the past three months.

He said the consulate asked him to resign from his job in November, although sources told the Post he might have left on his own. Cheng did not reveal where he is now, but said he was seeking asylum to find a place to settle with his fiancée and get a job.

He gave details of his treatment during detention in a lengthy Facebook post on Wednesday and in an interview to the BBC, sparking a war of words between Britain and officials in China and Hong Kong.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he summoned the Chinese ambassador in London to express outrage at Cheng’s alleged mistreatment.

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While Cheng complained that he received scant support since August, Raab said Britain would look into allowing him and his fiancée to settle there.

Chinese foreign affairs ministry spokesman Geng Shuang insisted that this was not a diplomatic matter and rejected all remarks made by the British.

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