Interpol's Meng Hongwei "Inquiry" – China Digital Times (CDT)

Interpol said that he had received his resignation "with immediate effect" Sunday night. It was the last turning point in the mystery of Meng's disappearance last month after his flight from France to China.

[…] On Sunday, a statement from the Communist Party in power in China said that Meng was "under the control and investigation" of the new anti-corruption unit, the National Supervisory Commission, for allegedly serious violations of the law of l & # 39; State. He gave no further information on the reason for his arrest and detention.

Meng, 64, is also a senior Chinese security official. He has more than 40 years of experience in the field of criminal justice, particularly in the areas of drug control, counter-terrorism, immigration and border control, before becoming president. Interpol, the international criminal organization. police organization based in Lyon in November 2016. He is a prominent member of the Communist Party.[[[[Source]

Laurie Chen and Catherine Wong at the South China Morning Post cited anonymous sources Meng is currently under investigation for suspicion of unspecified legal offenses, noting that he was "taken away" immediately after arriving in China.

It is not yet clear why Meng is under investigation or exactly where he is being held.

[…] Under the Chinese Supervision Act, the suspect's family and his employer must be notified within 24 hours of arrest, except in cases where this would prevent an investigation. It seems that Meng's wife has not been informed.

[…] Although Meng appears on the website of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security as deputy minister, he lost his seat on the communist party's committee, his true decision-making body, in April.

According to his own page on the site, Meng's last official engagement was on August 23, when he met Lai Chung Han, second permanent secretary of Singapore.[[[[Source]

The Chinese Central Commission for the Inspection of Discipline issued a statement of a line during the weekend corroborating the report of the investigation by the media, claiming that Meng was "suspected of violating the law "and was" under the supervision "of the new Chinese Supervisory Commission. anti-corruption body. He did not explain why Meng was under investigation or where he was being held.

Although the subject of the Meng investigation is not yet clearly defined, his case resembles the fall of high officials suspected of corruption, who often start with the removal of key roles within the party. Although Meng is still officially on the list of Chinese Vice-Ministers of Public Security, The AFP reporter, Matt Knight, notes Meng has been stripped of his position as a member of the party committee since April and several other internal leadership positions since the end of last year.

If speculation comes true, Meng would be the last high-ranking official to be caught in the much-publicized crackdown on President Xi Jinping's crackdown on corruption in the Communist Party – a group that has targeted more than a million officials at all levels of government and the military. "Flies" to powerful "tigers". Critics have argued that the current campaign is being used as a weapon by Xi to defeat his political rivals and consolidate his power. Political figures and military generals who have been engaged in the anti-corruption campaign include former rising star Sun Zhengcai, security chief Zhou Yongkang and general Guo Boxiong. Chinese Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi was quoted as saying to a group of senior police officials in Beijing that Meng was accused of corruption among other crimes. It has also been suggested that the apparent fall of Meng was probably related to Zhou Yongkang. However, Zhou's relatives dismissed the speculation that the two cases were linked, citing the fact that the two men were "never close".

The National Monitoring Commission (NSC) in charge of the Meng case is a powerful investigative body established earlier this year to oversee President Xi's ongoing efforts against corruption. The agency is a strengthened version of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection that operates independently of the courts and is allowed to keep suspects for several months at a time without providing legal advice. The agency runs a new detention system called "liuzhi", which is probably what Meng is undergoing.. Maya Wang of Human Rights Watch:

This means that it is highly likely that Meng was subjected to "liuzhi", a form of secret detention effectively controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. Under liuzhi, detainees are held incommunicado – without access to a lawyer or their family – for up to six months.

Little is known about the treatment of inmates during sentencing, as the program and the government agency that administers it, the National Supervisory Commission, are new. In March of this year, the commission absorbed the anti-corruption powers conferred on other ministries and was empowered to investigate anyone exercising public authority. It shares space and staff with the Disciplinary Body of the Party, the Central Commission for the Control of Discipline (CCDI).

[…] In its effort to give Liuzhi a gloss of legality that shuanggui lacked, the authorities said the interrogations would be videotaped and that families would be informed within 24 hours, among other reforms. The signs are not promising however: in May, a 45-year-old man would have died after 26 days spent in Liuzhi, the body covered with bruises.

What's next for Meng Hongwei? The formula is simple: like other people who have disappeared by force before him, including human rights defenders abused by the Meng Ministry of Public Security, he is in prison until he confesses under duress, an unfair trial, then a heavy prison sentence, which can last for many years. Although Meng's whereabouts remain elusive, his fate is not.[[[[Source]

The announcement of Meng's detention by the Chinese government took place shortly after his wife, Grace, revealed at a press conference in Lyon that she had received an ominous text message from her husband informing her that he was in danger a few minutes before his disappearance. Citing security concerns for herself and her children, Ms. Meng kept in touch with reporters while emotionally pleading for international help to keep her husband safe. His actions were unusual as family members of disgraced Communist officials hardly ever make such public appeals. Gillian Wong and John Leicester from the PA say:

Grace Meng said she had not heard from her husband since September 25th. With the help of his Interpol cell phone, he sent him the emoji image of a kitchen knife that day, four minutes after sending a message saying, "Wait for my call. "

[…] On the image of the knife, she said: "I think it means that he is in danger." She said that he was in China when he sent the picture.

"This is my husband's last message," she said. "After that, I no longer have calls and he disappeared."

She said that he traveled regularly between Lyon and China to get to work. He had toured Interpol in Norway, Sweden and Serbia before his last trip back to China, she said.[[[[Source]

Ms. Meng further revealed that she had been the target of online harassment and death threats. In a separate article, Gillian Wong and John Leicester detail a A scary call that Ms. Meng received from a man who would work for the Chinese government:

"You listen, but you do not talk," the man said at the other end. "We come in two work teams, two work teams just for you."

[…] Sending to the AP on Monday in a hotel in Lyon, the French city where she resides and where Interpol is located. Grace Meng said that she had put their two boys to bed when she had received the threatening call. It was a week after her last contact with her husband. On September 25, he sent him from China an emoji from a knife, suggesting that he was in danger.

The man who called her on her mobile phone spoke in Chinese, she said. She said the only clue he gave about his identity was that he was working for Meng, suggesting that he was part of China's security apparatus. He also said that he knew where she was.

"Just imagine: my husband was missing, my children were asleep, all my other phones were not working and that was the only call I received. I was so scared, "she said.[[[[Source]

China's willingness to jeopardize its international reputation and to blame it on a senior international official sets a precedent for the Xi administration's willingness to prioritize domestic and international politics. to party survival before meeting international standards. Meng's arrest should undermine China's legitimacy as it seeks to play a bigger role in international affairsmany of them are now uncertain whether it is reasonable to continue to entrust China with a leading role in multilateral organizations. The New York Times & # 39; Edward Wong and Report Alissa J. Rubin:

The appointment of Mr. Meng "has been seen as a feat for China and a sign of its international presence and growing influence," said Julian Ku, a professor at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law. Hofstra University, which studied China's relations with international law.

While China may have sought to place its citizens in other high-ranking positions in leading global organizations, "the fact that Meng was" disappeared "without notice to Interpol will undermine this effort. China's global reach, "Ku said. "It is hard to imagine that another international organization feels comfortable loading a Chinese national without fearing that will happen."

[…] His detention means that the party's internal dynamics take precedence over any party's concerns about international legitimacy or transparency.

The measures taken by the party in this case "suggest that internal considerations outweigh international considerations," said Ku, a law professor. "This has always been true for China, but perhaps not so obviously true as in this case."[[[[Source]

The incident shows that party loyalty and obedience are of utmost importance in Xi's China, regardless of the external pressure. Ben Westcott reports for CNN:

Unusually, the Chinese government's statement that Meng was arrested on suspicion of bribery did not simply mention the charges. He also stressed the importance of the loyalty of both Chinese President Xi Jinping and party leaders.

Michael Caster, a human rights defender at Safeguard Defenders, told CNN that he found the wording of the Chinese statement "really alarming".

"I think it is very disturbing (that) China thinks that it can arbitrarily remove and detain the head of an international organization without suffering serious consequences," Caster said.

"Not only does he underline the alleged criminal violation, but he points out … that Meng Hongwei finally performed his duties at the discretion of the Communist Party, which is led by Xi Jinping," Caster added.[[[[Source]

China Change compiled a list of points to remember Meng's arrest and the way it fits into the larger changes underway in China:

We will refrain from enjoying the rich irony and absurdity of the event, but there are some points to record:

1. Individuals who occupy positions in international organizations, irrespective of their position or nationality, should perform their duties as independent individuals, rather than as representatives of their countries. respectively. But the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does not grant any of its members such independence, especially Meng Hongwei. As far as the CCP is concerned, he is first and foremost the Party man and he can punish him at any time, even if he wishes, even during his term at Interpol.

2. It follows that Meng Hongwei, as leader of Interpol, was inevitably subject to the Party's directives and control.

3. Meng Hongwei's mafia abduction sends a harsh message to the international community: Totalitarian China does not comply with international procedures and is unable to participate in world affairs as a normal country.

4. Almost exactly one year ago, Xi Jinping attended the 86th Interpol General Assembly in Beijing and delivered an introductory speech highlighting "Cooperation, Innovation, the Rule of Law and Human Rights". beneficial results for all, as well as the building of a universal and secure community of shared future for humanity.[[[[Source]

In the end, the Interpol incident could not only cost China its reputation and its aspirations to lead global organizations but this has also harmed the international institutions themselves, faced with the obvious political complications of appointing Chinese officials. From Adam Minter to Bloomberg: