Key Points
- The government is offering consular assistance to Australian activist Drew Pavlou after he was arrested in London.
- Mr Pavlou said he was arrested after staging a "small peaceful human rights protest" outside the UK Chinese Embassy.
Australian human rights activist Drew Pavlou was arrested and subsequently released by London police over an alleged fake bomb threat sent in an email to the Chinese embassy in the United Kingdom.
Mr Pavlou, 23, was arrested while staging a "small peaceful human rights protest" outside the Chinese embassy in London to defend the rights of .
After attempting to glue his hand and the to the embassy gate, Mr Pavlou said London's Metropolitan Police arrested him for allegedly sending a fake bomb threat to the embassy in an email.
In a statement, London’s Metropolitan Police said a man was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of trespassing on diplomatic premises, communicating a fake bomb threat and criminal damage.
According to Mr Pavlou, police officers told him that the Chinese embassy filed a report about an email it received that read: "This is Drew Pavlou you have until 12pm to stop the Uyghur Genocide or I blow up the embassy with a bomb regards Drew."
Mr Pavlou "vociferously denied" sending the email, pointing to previous alleged instances of fake emails sent to government officials that used his name.
"Why would I throw my whole life away ... to go to the Chinese embassy and hold a peaceful protest but then also send a bomb threat with my name attached to it?" Mr Pavlou told SBS News.
"It's just insanity. Nobody would ever believe that."
Metropolitan Police said the man - whose identity cannot be identified in their statement but matches the location of the arrest of Mr Pavlou - was offered legal advice and a duty solicitor at 8pm that day.
But Mr Pavlou said he was denied his right to speak with any solicitor or his barrister, Michael Pollack, as well as Australian consular authorities as it was past midnight.
"Hours and hours and hours would pass and they would just say, 'the duty solicitor hasn't returned your calls',” he said.
Mr Pavlou was detained for almost 24 hours and released at nearly 4pm the next day.
Human rights activist Drew Pavlou was arrested in the UK and released following a protest he held outside the Chinese embassy in London. Source: Getty / AFP / Patrick Hamilton
"Officials from Australia’s High Commission in London will raise Mr Pavlou’s claim that he was denied consular access before being released with UK authorities," the DFAT spokesperson said.
"Owing to our privacy obligations, we cannot provide further details."
Mr Pavlou said the consular authorities were "a big help" but remains concerned for his future.
"It's just such a black mark on my reputation forever. It's the darkest thing that's ever happened to me."
He that while his passport was returned, he was strongly recommended to remain in the United Kingdom until 14 August when he is required to attend the police station.
'Holiday from hell'
Mr Pavlou travelled to London about ,
, where she described the claims of her silence as a "huge misunderstanding" and that she "never disappeared".
"This was supposed to be a one-week holiday to help support the Wimbledon Peng Shuai campaign. Talk about a holiday from hell," Mr Pavlou said.
Chief executive and co-founder of prominent group Hong Kong Watch Benedict Rogers threw his support behind Mr Pavlou, describing the Australian's experience as a "totally absurd and outrageous injustice".
"@DrewPavlou is a totally peaceful young man who heroically devotes his energies to highlighting #UyghurGenocide, #Tibet, the dismantling of #HongKong's freedoms & #China's #CCP repression," Mr Rogers tweeted.
"He should be applauded, not arrested."
SBS News has contacted the Chinese embassy in the UK for comment.
