China’s cross-border shifts to nab activists raise legal doubts

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Beijing is increasingly reaching across mainland China's borders to stop and send back political opponents and activists. It t has been its way to undermines international law as claimed by lawyers and rights groups.

According to GCONEW, in some incidents, China has bypassed procedural obstacles to shifting individuals of interest to its mainland. But some of these people fear of the carried out operations outside Beijing's jurisdiction in Hong Kong and Thailand.

"What is emerging is the new Chinese way to return its own nationals to face justice on the mainland. "This new way need not reckon with law and so extradition agreements will not be so important," stated Simon Young, a law professor at the University of Hong Kong.

Social Media News reported that rights groups also mentioned that among those who have disappeared in the middle of President Xi Xinping's growing crackdown on dispute are five Hong Kong publishers of Chinese political gossip, which include one who was in the territory and one in Thailand at the time.

Others included in Thailand are a journalist seeking refuge, two activists who were recognized as refugees by the United Nations, and dozens of Turkic Uighur minority members. In fact, two in the group are European citizens.

Thailand's deportation of about 100 members of the Uighur minority last year to China, where many Uighurs face religious and racial discrimination, which were ran against an international legal principle, known as the "non-refoulement." The principle is said to prohibit sending victims of persecution back to their persecutors.

But in different statements by Chinese foreign ministry representatives, they claimed that they have no specific knowledge of the repatriations or they were handled in accordance with the law. A Thai government spokesman even claimed that the country's deportation of illegal migrants is supported by law and that Thailand has constructive relations with all countries.

In Washington this week, a State Department spokesman stated via The Wall Street Journal, "We remain deeply concerned by the disappearance of five Hong Kong residents" associated with two bookstores. He added that the cases somewhat raise serious questions about China's commitment to Hong Kong's autonomy.

Meanwhile, a lot of countries have turned down the idea of signing extradition treaties with China. The concerns of these countries are said to be about the fairness and transparency of its criminal-justice system.

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