37 Facts About Simon Cheng

Simon Cheng was formerly a trade and investment officer at the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong.

Simon Cheng subsequently fled to London and was granted asylum in June 2020.

Simon Cheng was born in Hong Kong in 1990 and he was a Hong Kong permanent resident.

Simon Cheng returned to Hong Kong in 2017 and worked as a trade and investment officer at the British Consulate-General Hong Kong.

Simon Cheng's work was in the Scottish Development International section and his main responsibility was to encourage the mainland business community to invest in Scotland.

Simon Cheng's disappearance caught public attention, since it was reported that officers at the border had been searching civilians' belongings and phones to identify anyone who had attended the protests.

Simon Cheng's family met with Nicola Barrett, a consulate official, who advised them to seek help from the police.

Geng added that his arrest was China's "internal affair" since Simon Cheng was a Hong Kong citizen.

The family, who operated a Facebook page named "Release Simon Cheng" then re-posted the Global Times news piece on Facebook and added that the piece was "a joke".

Simon Cheng said that the British consulate had asked him to observe the protests.

Simon Cheng had joined several legal and peaceful rallies, and joined several Telegram groups which were used by the protesters for coordination.

Simon Cheng added that his role was to purely observe the movement then report back to the British consulate, meaning that he would not attempt to direct the movement or instigate any conflict.

Simon Cheng further added that it was "the kind of civil society monitoring work many embassies do".

Simon Cheng believed that his position as a member of the British consulate staff, as well as his relationship with a Chinese friend who was detained for participating in the protests, were the main reasons why Chinese authorities chose to detain him.

Simon Cheng recounted that he was handed over to three plain-clothed officers who he suspected to be secret police after he was escorted back to Shenzhen from West Kowloon station.

Simon Cheng added that he was "shackled, blindfolded and hooded" during his detention.

Simon Cheng was forced to maintain stress positions for a sustained period, and that he would be beaten when he moved.

Simon Cheng reported being subjected to solitary confinement and sleep deprivation, as interrogators forced him to sing the Chinese national anthem whenever he tried to sleep.

Simon Cheng was strapped on a "tiger chair", which completely disabled the movement of the detainees, for a sustained period of time.

Simon Cheng's glasses were removed throughout his detention, causing him to feel "dizzy" constantly, and he was not allowed to contact his family.

Simon Cheng believed that other Hongkongers were detained by China.

Simon Cheng added that the interrogators showed him pictures of protesters and asked him if he recognised any of them or if he was able to point out their political affiliation.

Simon Cheng was asked to draw out an organisation chart as the agents hoped to identify the protest leaders and "core" protesters.

Simon Cheng stated that he recorded the video under duress and he was coerced into filming the video as a condition for his release.

Simon Cheng added that he would be put under "indefinite criminal detention" if he refused to film the video.

Simon Cheng filed a complaint to Ofcom over CGTN's broadcast of his forced confession on 28 November 2019.

Liu responded by saying that Simon Cheng had already made the confession, and that his legal rights were protected during his detention.

Hong Kong's Secretary for Justice Teresa Simon Cheng declined to comment.

Simon Cheng added that Beijing has a history of forcing detainees who have ties with foreign governments to record confession videos to deflect criticism.

Simon Cheng added that these videos "paint the process with a veneer of judicial process and legality".

Simon Cheng later clarified that he left the post because his job would require him to visit mainland China frequently.

Simon Cheng briefly stayed in Taiwan from 30 August to 29 November 2020.

Simon Cheng advocated for the establishment of a "parliament-in-exile" as he believed that the formation of such council can "send a very clear signal to Beijing and the Hong Kong authorities that democracy need not be at the mercy of Beijing".

Simon Cheng established "Hongkongers in Britain", a platform which aids Hongkongers already in Britain and those who sought to emigrate there to integrate into the society.

On 14 December 2023, the Hong Kong government issued an arrest warrant against Simon Cheng and put a bounty of HK$1million on his capture.

Simon Cheng had broken off contact with his family for four years.

On 12 June 2024, the Hong Kong government revoked the passport of Simon Cheng, exercising powers that it had been granted under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.