Kris Cheng

The Hong Kong spy trial today shows the UK's lack of preparedness for combating transnational repression and state-sponsored surveillance, leaving 8 people who were arrested in the spying case walked free and left the country. 1) Only 1-2 translators were assigned to deal with 24TB of Cantonese & Chinese material. 2) The police didn't invoke Section 27 of the NSA 2023 to get more time to investigate (or translate). 3) The police didn't use the State Threats Prevention and Investigation Measures (STPIMs) to stop 8 arrestees form leaving the UK while under investigation. The police had every chance to make things work, and such incompetence has made alleged spies, who were once Hong Kong police, get away with it and left the UK. Starmer's government has no intention to step up their understanding on China. The FCDO's China capabilities programme doesn't go beyond the Westminster bubble, and the Department will face drastic funding cuts soon. Today's news report by the Pulse News: pulsehknews.com/20260319etotri…

City of London special constable accused of spying for China 'threatened protester with arrest'. Read more 🔗 trib.al/Rt3MyKi

If a bounty-hunted, sanctioned by Beijing, victim in an ongoing National Security Act espionage case like @finnlau_cd is made to wait interminably for a UK citizenship determination, what hope have other HK BN(O)s got? Come on @ukhomeoffice sort it out! thetimes.com/uk/politics/ar…

This investigation from @OCCRP, published a few weeks ago, uncovered how a person running two UK-registered crypto exchanges was actually a fake front linked to laundering for Iran's regime. One of the links in the investigation relied on facial matching a cat. Brilliant.

Transnational Repression: Italy orders expulsion of eight Chinese nationals on national security grounds following years of relentless surveillance, harassment and threats against prominent Chinese dissident and influencer @whyyoutouzhele Read more 👇 safeguarddefenders.com/en/blog/transn…

Courageous Australian journalist @ChengLeifreedom endured 1154 days in a Chinese prison, only to come home to Australia and face harassment and cancellation by the very forces, and those sympathetic to them, who imprisoned her in the first place. Lei has been working on this play for over a year. She has poured her heart and soul into staging a very public and challenging conversation with a live audience on what happened, and what was done to her. Lei's voice is vital, and this play is more urgent than ever. Shame on Rising festival for cancelling Lei. Shame on the Chinese government and those cowed by them for pursuing a victim across continents, compounding her trauma, denying her safety. We have seen the arts community champion the rights of people who are frankly undeserving of the platform they have been given in the name of free speech. Will the arts community stand up now for Lei? (or was this never really about free speech in the first place?) Lei's play 1154 Days will open on 28 May at Arts Centre in North Melbourne without festival support. I will be there. If you want to take a stand against the bullying and censorship of someone who is a national treasure, join me. archive.is/IBI4o

Having one’s front door smashed in at 6.20am is not the best way to start any day - nor is the arrival of an eight-strong team from the counter-terrorism division of the Metropolitan Police as part of an investigation into spying for China✍️@ShiptonMartin wp.me/p8Mk4U-1gzN

Here are the Chinese 'spies' as they allegedly try to convince a surveillance target that her flat was flooding by pouring water under the door. They are also using a 'snake camera' to look inside courtnewsuk.co.uk/chinese-spies-…