Question reference: S6W-11684
- Date lodged: 21 October 2022
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Current status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 November 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the existence and activities of a so-called "110 Overseas" centre in Glasgow, which, according to a report by the Spain-based human rights NGO, Safeguard Defenders, operates as a branch of the Chinese police service.
Answer
As the First Minister indicated in Parliament on 27 October, she was aware of the report and stated “that those reports are deeply concerning, and I want to be very clear that we take them extremely seriously. Any foreign country that operates in Scotland must abide by Scottish law. The Scottish Government fully supports individuals’ rights to freedom of expression, which is an extremely important principle".
The First Minister went on to say: "Obviously, those matters require to be fully and properly investigated. It would not be appropriate for me to go into too much detail, but I know, as a result of a conversation that I had yesterday with the Chief Constable, that the police are aware of those reports. Of course, the police are operationally independent, and it is up to them to determine what investigations would be appropriate. However, they are aware of those reports, and I repeat that those reports require to be treated extremely seriously.”