In Italy there would be eleven different unofficial police stations of the Chinese government. This is what emerges from an investigation by Safeguard Defenders, a Spanish NGO that deals with human rights in Asian countries. According to a new report by the organization, most of these stations would not have any authorisation: they are officially described as bureaucratic and protection offices for Chinese tourists. As a matter of fact, they would carry out research and repression of citizens and dissidents abroad: one of the main tasks of these stations would be to bring back to China the dissidents who fled, often by coercive methods. The “Patrol and Persuade” report, following a first survey last September, showed the existence of 54 unofficial Chinese police stations in the world between North America, Europe and Africa. Now the number of stations identified is over 100, and Italy would be the country that has the most of all, with eleven different police stations scattered between Milan, Rome, Prato and other cities. In Italy there are 330,000 Chinese citizens. Between 2015 and 2016, the opening of the station was publicly presented in some cities with the active collaboration of the Italian Police. On April 27, 2015, the former Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni signed four international cooperation agreements with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, including a memorandum for joint patrols of the two police forces. According to Safeguard Defenders, the Chinese offices began carrying out illegal operations aimed at "harassing, threatening, intimidating and pushing for the return to China of particular targets". Among those in the crosshairs of the Chinese government there are common criminals, dissidents but also targets of the operation "Fox Hunt" launched in 2014 by President Xi Jinping to prosecute corrupt officials who fled abroad.
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