'Brutal' treatment of tourists protested

A screenshot of the official website of the Chinese Embassy in Sweden on Sept. 15, 2018.

A case of Chinese tourists being abused by police in Stockholm, Sweden, has gripped the public since the Chinese embassy in Sweden released a statement on the incident on Saturday.

Around midnight on Sept. 2, a Chinese man and his 64-and 67-year-old parents, were mistreated by Stockholm police, said the statement on the website of the Chinese embassy in Sweden.

The embassy said it was deeply appalled and angered that three Chinese tourists were "brutally abused by the Swedish police".

On Sept 2, a Chinese tourist surnamed Zeng and his parents arrived at midnight at the hotel he booked in Stockholm, and he was told the room would not be available for check-in until later in the day, the Global Times reported.

Considering the poor health of his elderly parents, Zeng asked the hotel staff to allow them to stay in the lobby for the time being, but his request was rejected.

The hotel staff called the police, who dragged Zeng's father out of the hotel even though Zeng showed them proof that his father suffers from cardiovascular disease. Zeng and his parents were taken away in a police car and later dropped off at a cemetery, the report said.

Zeng notified the Chinese embassy of the incident and flew back to China with his parents.

The embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have strongly protested to the Swedish government, stressing that what the police did "severely endangered the life and violated the basic human rights of the Chinese citizens".

"We hope that the Swedish side will handle the case in accordance with the law, and we urge the Swedish side again to take immediate actions to protect the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in Sweden," the statement said.

Speaking to local media on Sunday, Chinese Ambassador to Sweden Gui Congyou said the three Chinese tourists were mistreated by Swedish police under circumstances in which they hadn't broken Swedish law.

The incident took place in a country that honors human rights and justice all the time, which "puzzled and even shocked us a lot", Gui said, adding the Chinese government and his embassy shoulder the responsibility for protecting the life, safety and dignity of the Chinese people abroad.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism released a statement on Saturday, saying it is highly concerned over the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese tourists in Sweden, and it urged the country to raise safety awareness and strengthen safety precautions.

The Swedish embassy in China said in a statement on Sunday that Swedish authorities have conducted an independent investigation into the incident to determine whether the police had neglected their duty or violated the law. The statement did not touch on the findings of the investigation.

Some netizens in China also called on Chinese tourists abroad to respect local rules and customs, and be more rational in protecting their legitimate rights in any dispute.