Beijing has forced nearly 10,000 Chinese overseas nationals to return since 2014 using coercive means outside the justice system, according to a new report.

The figure could be the "tip of the iceberg", Spain-based rights group Safeguard Defenders reported Tuesday, as China aggressively pursues its nationals overseas.

The report alleges China is expanding its policing powers overseas and conducting illegal operations on foreign soil.

Officially, the targets are people wanted by the Chinese judicial system as part of President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption drive.

But the NGO details cases where those who criticised the Communist Party had relatives in China harassed and detained in attempts to coerce them to return.

Through two programmes, Operation Fox Hunt and Operation Sky Net, targeted individuals were pressured to return to China against their will due to a combination of non-judicial methods, including kidnappings, harassment and intimidation, according to the report.

"With the Chinese diaspora growing at an ever faster rate as more people seek to leave China… Beijing has never been more motivated to expand the powers of its security forces overseas," the report said.

Safeguard Defenders cited government data in its estimate that almost 10,000 Chinese nationals had been forcibly returned since 2014.

Official figures from the government's anti-graft watchdog show Beijing returned around 2,500 targeted individuals in the past two years.

But the numbers do not include suspects apprehended for non-economic crimes or those who are not members of China's ruling Communist Party.

The NGO's report alleges intimidation of suspects' family members in China is widespread and Chinese agents are sent to threaten targets in foreign countries.

Sometimes overseas nationals are lured to third countries that have extradition agreements with China, the rights group says.

Operation Fox Hunt was launched in 2014 to track down expatriates wanted for economic crimes while the larger Operation Sky Net kicked off in 2015 and was later folded into Fox Hunt.

China has previously been accused of carrying out kidnappings abroad.

In 2015, bookseller and Swedish citizen Gui Minhai was allegedly abducted from Thailand before later reappearing in Chinese custody.

Two years later, billionaire businessman Xiao Jianhua disappeared from a Hong Kong hotel and is believed to be still in custody in China.

In China, the Communist Party-controlled courts convict most people who stand trial.

Hong Kong independence activist Edward Leung released from jail
Hong Kong (AFP) Jan 18, 2022 –

Hong Kong independence activist Edward Leung, whose now-banned slogan became a rallying cry during the 2019 pro-democracy movement, was released from jail in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday after serving nearly four years.

Leung, 30, was the face of localist group Hong Kong Indigenous and a rising star on the political scene as a fledgling pro-independence movement gained momentum in 2016.

But his ascent was cut short two years later when he was jailed for rioting and assaulting police during a 2016 protest, at which demonstrators hurled bricks and set rubbish alight in the city's Mong Kok district.

While Leung was kept in a maximum-security prison, his election campaign slogan — "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" — gained prominence as protesters in 2019 took it up as a cry of resistance against China's authoritarian rule.

The chant — ubiquitous during the huge and at times violent pro-democracy rallies which convulsed the city — was criminalised last year under a sweeping national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong to stamp out dissent.

Leung was expected to leave Shek Pik prison during Wednesday's working hours, but officials confirmed he was released under cover of darkness.

That was done to take "into consideration the wish and safety of the person in custody", Hong Kong's prisons department told AFP in an email.

Local media reported the activist was released before 3 am (1900 GMT Tuesday), with an online news outlet posting images shot from afar of seven-seater cars leaving the prison facility — though Leung could not be seen.

The main road to the prison was deserted Wednesday morning, with metal barriers set up to prevent reporters from getting closer.

Around 5:45 am, Leung posted on his official Facebook page he had reunited with his family.

"After four years, I want to cherish the precious time I have with my family and restore a normal life. I would like to express my genuine gratitude for all your care," he wrote.

He added that he would "stay away from the spotlight and stop using social media", as he is legally obliged to adhere to a "supervision order".

His Facebook page appeared to be down by 6:30 am.

Leung's family had on Tuesday urged the public not to gather at the prison for the activist's release.

Weeks before, government sources had told local media that Leung was "likely to be watched" as authorities are wary of his influence in the now-smothered pro-independence camp.

– Meteoric rise and fall –

Born in the mainland Chinese city of Wuhan in 1991, Leung is most recognised as one of the early faces of Hong Kong's pro-independence movement.

He was initially resented by mainstream democracy supporters for his staunch advocacy of Hong Kong's independence.

But his views gained popularity — particularly among the territory's younger generation — after the largely peaceful 79-day Occupy Movement in 2014 failed, with police forcefully clearing out protesters with batons and pepper spray in some instances.

The philosophy and political science student then joined Hong Kong Indigenous as its spokesman, and in 2016 became the first pro-independence candidate to run in a legislative by-election.

Leung did not win, but his tally of more than 66,000 votes was widely seen as a show of rising support for the once-marginal movement.

He had remained largely silent during his time in prison — save for one open letter published in July 2019 when he urged protesters not to be blinded by hatred, as tensions rose between the pro-democracy movement and police, as well as local supporters of Beijing's rule.

Today, under the national security law which came into force in 2020, advocating for Hong Kong's separation from China carries a jail term of 10 years to life in prison.