UK Businessman Suspected to Have Been Detained in a Secret Facility in Beijing, According to Evidence
According to Safeguard Defenders, it is likely that Ian Stones, a British national, was held in a facility managed by China’s spy agency before being transferred to regular detention and convicted of an espionage charge. In 2022, Beijing confirmed Mr. Stones’s conviction after he disappeared from public view in 2018. His daughter reported that neither the family nor British Embassy staff had been allowed to see any legal documents related to the case, and there was no confession to the alleged crime.
Safeguard Defenders stated that evidence suggests Mr. Stones was “almost certainly” held at a Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location (RSDL) facility in Beijing, that is managed by the Ministry of State Security (MSS), likely for six months. It is also noted that Peter Dahlin, SD’s Director, has previously been held in the same facility.
The report also mentioned that Mr. Stones was later transferred to a regular pre-trial detention facility, which occurred shortly after former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig was moved there from the RSDL facility. Additionally, if Mr. Stones had not been placed under RSDL, he would have already been released, according to SD, because only half of the time spent under RSDL can be deducted from a prison term.
RSDL has been described as a system for secret detention, where victims are held in solitary confinement, denied access to legal counsel, and subjected to torture and forced to confess. Safeguard Defenders is also aware of other foreign citizens being placed in this facility, based on Kovrig’s statement.
Regarding this case, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office didn’t respond to a request for comment.
