Detained Swedish activist ‘confesses’ to working against China

The Chinese state television has telecast an apparent confession by a detained Swedish rights activist in which he is shown to be making an apology for carrying out activities “harmful to China”.

The Chinese state television has telecast an apparent confession by a detained Swedish rights activist in which he is shown to be making an apology for carrying out activities “harmful to China”.

In this image made from undated video released by China Central Television (CCTV), Peter Dahlin, a Swedish co-founder of a human rights group, speaks on camera in an unknown location. (CCTV via AP Photo)

Peter Dahlin, 35, was detained earlier this month following allegations that a group he founded, Chinese Urgent Action Working Group (CUAWG) received foreign funds to release wrong reports, critical of China.

“I violated Chinese law through my activities here, I’ve caused harm to the Chinese government, I have hurt the feelings of the Chinese people. I apologise sincerely for this and I regret that this ever happened,” Dahlin said during the apparent confession shown on China Central Television (CCTV) on Tuesday night.

According to a statement from the police, Dahlin and another person were operating an unregistered organisation on the Chinese mainland in the name of an “emergency rights aid group”, receiving unregulated huge sums of money from seven overseas organisations and carrying out unregulated activities.

Official news agency, Xinhua, quoted the police as saying the “...organisation hired and trained others, who were called ‘lawyers’ and petitioners, to gather, distort, exaggerate and even fabricate negative information about China, providing the so-called ‘China’s human rights report’ to overseas organisations”.