Simon Cheng complains to British watchdog Ofcom over Chinese state media’s ‘forced confession’ footage

A former British consulate worker in Hong Kong has filed a complaint with Britain’s broadcast regulator, claiming the airing of a “forced confession” by Chinese state broadcaster CGTN was abusive and defamatory.

In a complaint filed on Wednesday, Simon Cheng Man-kit accused CGTN – which is licensed by British regulator the Office of Communications (Ofcom) – of violating the country’s broadcasting code by airing footage showing him“confessing” to soliciting prostitution while detained in Shenzhen in August.

The complaint, published by rights group Safeguard Defenders on Thursday, said Cheng’s “confession” was made under “tremendous duress”, and broadcasting the footage broke the code’s rules on privacy and fairness.

“The broadcast not only violates numerous regulations under the [Ofcom] Broadcasting Code, but also includes direct and easily proven lies,” Cheng said in the complaint.

“The broadcast is made for the purpose of stating that I have committed a crime, despite no evidence and no court judgment being presented. It is also for the purpose of inciting hatred against me, with the aim of reducing my credibility.”

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We have received a complaint about a programme broadcast on CGTN which we are assessing as a priority.”

CGTN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Safeguard Defenders said Cheng was “in hiding, pending secure relocation” to Britain due to threats of kidnapping.

The Chinese embassy in London protested to the British Foreign Office on Tuesday, saying Cheng’s legal rights had not been violated while he was in detention in Shenzhen, and insisting that he was held for allegedly soliciting prostitution.

“There was no such thing as ‘extorting confessions by torture’ as claimed by Cheng and the British side,” the embassy said.

“Regarding this case, the facts are clear and the evidence solid. Cheng has confessed all his offences, and the Chinese law enforcement institution’s handling of the case was completely justified and lawful.”

Various state media outlets, including CGTN, aired the footage after Cheng said he was tortured during the 15 days he was in custody in August. He said he was beaten, handcuffed and blindfolded for hours and interrogated at length about his involvement in anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Beijing has denied all the allegations, insisting that Cheng was arrested legally for soliciting prostitution.

Cheng’s complaint to Ofcom comes amid intense efforts by China’s state media to paint the protesters in Hong Kong as violent rioters who caused chaos across the community and whose demands were meant simply to sow unrest in the city.

CGTN, the English-language arm of Chinese broadcaster CCTV, has been at the forefront of many of these efforts, as the outlet aggressively expands its reach around the globe, including with new headquarters in London.

Videos published by CGTN include one of Cheng, titled “Simon Cheng, Shame on you”, showing him in a pink prison clothes and claiming to feel ashamed for his “illegal acts”.

Ofcom said in September it was investigating CGTN over the impartiality of its reports on the months-long anti-government protests in Hong Kong. It was also looking into English-language programmes that included confessions from British investigator Peter Humphrey and Hong Kong bookseller Gui Minhai, who has Swedish citizenship.

In 2015, Ofcom concluded that CCTV’s British licence holder, Star China Media, violated impartiality guidelines in its coverage of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Occupy Central movement in 2014.