The Swedish human rights activist, Peter Dahlin, who was detained in China was said to have been forced by Chinese government to "make a confession" on national TV. His supporters are saying that what he said was scripted and that he was compelled to do it.
He said in his "confession" that he violated China's law through his activities in the country. He then started confessing and said "I've caused harm to the Chinese government. I've hurt the feelings of the Chinese people. I apologize sincerely for this and I am very sorry that this ever happened," Time noted. He also added that he was being treated fairly and he is being taken care of in the detain facility.
According to BBC, there was a vast tracking of human rights activists and lawyers. Since early January, Dahlin has been held captive by the Chinese government. There were allegations about Dahlin's organization, China Action, that they were illegal and they are endangering China's security. The state media reported about it saying his organization Chinese Urgent Action Working Group (China Action) is initiating disagreements and altering information they have gathered about the country. The group immediately denied all accusations and called it ridiculous together with Dahlin's "apology"
The Guardian reported that Dahlin's activist group firmly believed that the confession was forced. His friends and other acquaintances also said the same thing. They added that the accusations Dahlin is facing are baseless and unfair. They have no evidence that their group is indeed doing what the state media is accusing them of.
Dahlin was arrested at Beijing airport as he was about to leave the country. Other activists are saying that the Chinese government is showing its people that they have caught a Westerner trying to ruin China's image and that he is sorry for whatever he's done. Many people who have fought or even just talked about the injustices and inhumane treatment of people are being condemned or banned in the country. The human rights and protection groups are almost always being hunted by the government.
