NEWSLETTER: The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong attend Oslo Freedom Forum
Welcome to the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) weekly newsletter.
Every week, this newsletter will bring you the latest updates and developments concerning freedom in Hong Kong.
Every week, this newsletter will bring you the latest updates and developments concerning freedom in Hong Kong.
Committee News
This week, the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) attended the Oslo Freedom Forum, the Human Rights Foundation’s annual global conference series bringing together human rights defenders from around the world. It was a privilege to be in the same room as those who are continuing the fight for freedom and democracy. CFHK met with Jens Galschiot, creator of the Pillar of Shame, and had the honour of being part of the unveiling of a recreation of the sculpture at the University of Oslo Garden. CFHK also met with several politicians, including Norwegian Member of Parliament and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee Guri Melby, during which the risks of free trade and economic ties with China, and the crackdown of free press and political prisoners in Hong Kong were discussed.
Religious Freedom
Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun and five other pro-democracy activists appeared at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court in Hong Kong, to enter pleas to charges of failing to register a defunct protester relief fund between 2019 and 2021. All six defendants denied the charges, reported the Hong Kong Free Press. On the same day, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun criticised the Vatican for its “unwise” deal with China that is due for renewal in September, noted Reuters.
Beijing is making it increasingly difficult to practice Christianity in China, reported The Tablet. Police and security personnel have been deployed to Catholic churches, under the pretext of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. Bishop Bertram Meier, a World Church representative, said “the harassment of bishops, priests and nuns who refuse to join the Patriotic Association, the official representation of Catholicism in China imposed by the state, is getting more and more coercive.”
Press
Hong Kong journalist Eric Wu Ka-Fei has been sentenced to a month in prison for disorderly behaviour. The Committee to Protect Journalists’ Asia coordinator, Steven Butler, said “Hong Kong authorities should be embarrassed for jailing journalist Eric Wu Ka-Fai merely for asking tough questions of the police, as he had every right to do. Hong Kong authorities continue to claim that press freedom prevails in the Chinese-ruled city, but cases like Wu’s prove otherwise.”
The president of Hong Kong’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC), Keith Richburg, said on Monday that the club still has a “role to play” following its decision to cancel this year’s Human Rights Press Awards, reported Hong Kong Free Press. Keith Richburg said, “access to information, journalists being able to stand up to ask questions at press conferences, the government not weaponizing the visa process, these are all things the FCC can still speak out about and should speak out about.” The club last month announced it would suspend the journalism awards.
In Other News
The Hong Kong Catholic group which organises the Tiananmen Square vigil has cancelled the ceremony, citing fears over the National Security Law, reported the Hong Kong Free Press. The cancellation means that Hong Kong, the last place where the massacre was publicly commemorated, will have no public memorial for the victims. Staff members responsible for organising the events have expressed concern that their safety may be compromised if they are involved in further years. Pro-democracy activists including Jimmy Lai and Gwyneth Ho have been jailed for organising, taking part, and inciting others to participate in the 2020 banned vigil.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, is 5 days into her trip to China, however, China has said that it will be conducted in a “closed-loop” in order to contain the spread of Covid-19, reported The Guardian. Bachelet is expected to travel to the Xinjiang region, though no international journalists will be allowed to travel with her. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, said “the purpose of the private visit is to enhance exchanges and cooperation between both sides and promote the international cause of human rights.”
During Michelle Bachelet’s visit to China and the Xinjiang region, a trove of hacked Chinese police photographs and documents shedding light on the treatment of Uyghurs by the Chinese Communist party were released. The cache, which has been referred to as the Xinjiang police files, was published by the BBC and includes thousands of photographs from the heart of China’s secretive system of mass incarceration in Xinjiang, as well as the shoot-to-kill policy for those who try to escape. In response to the leak, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss condemned the shocking details stating that the “new evidence shows the extraordinary scale of China’s targeting of Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities.”
Hong Kong authorities are considering extending the mandatory exam on the Basic Law, which was introduced in January, to cover many new teachers who join schools in the city, reported the South China Morning Post. So far 70 percent of those who have been tested have passed but now those candidates who did not pass must wait until the next examination, next year at the earliest, to begin teaching.
Liu Guangyuan, commissioner of China’s foreign ministry office in Hong Kong, has claimed that the rule of law around the world is under siege from “countries that claim to promote democracy,” reported the South China Morning Post. Liu said that the rule of law was a core value cherished by the city of Hong Kong and that it will shine again with the support of the central government.
This week, the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) attended the Oslo Freedom Forum, the Human Rights Foundation’s annual global conference series bringing together human rights defenders from around the world. It was a privilege to be in the same room as those who are continuing the fight for freedom and democracy. CFHK met with Jens Galschiot, creator of the Pillar of Shame, and had the honour of being part of the unveiling of a recreation of the sculpture at the University of Oslo Garden. CFHK also met with several politicians, including Norwegian Member of Parliament and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee Guri Melby, during which the risks of free trade and economic ties with China, and the crackdown of free press and political prisoners in Hong Kong were discussed.
Religious Freedom
Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun and five other pro-democracy activists appeared at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court in Hong Kong, to enter pleas to charges of failing to register a defunct protester relief fund between 2019 and 2021. All six defendants denied the charges, reported the Hong Kong Free Press. On the same day, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun criticised the Vatican for its “unwise” deal with China that is due for renewal in September, noted Reuters.
Beijing is making it increasingly difficult to practice Christianity in China, reported The Tablet. Police and security personnel have been deployed to Catholic churches, under the pretext of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. Bishop Bertram Meier, a World Church representative, said “the harassment of bishops, priests and nuns who refuse to join the Patriotic Association, the official representation of Catholicism in China imposed by the state, is getting more and more coercive.”
Press
Hong Kong journalist Eric Wu Ka-Fei has been sentenced to a month in prison for disorderly behaviour. The Committee to Protect Journalists’ Asia coordinator, Steven Butler, said “Hong Kong authorities should be embarrassed for jailing journalist Eric Wu Ka-Fai merely for asking tough questions of the police, as he had every right to do. Hong Kong authorities continue to claim that press freedom prevails in the Chinese-ruled city, but cases like Wu’s prove otherwise.”
The president of Hong Kong’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC), Keith Richburg, said on Monday that the club still has a “role to play” following its decision to cancel this year’s Human Rights Press Awards, reported Hong Kong Free Press. Keith Richburg said, “access to information, journalists being able to stand up to ask questions at press conferences, the government not weaponizing the visa process, these are all things the FCC can still speak out about and should speak out about.” The club last month announced it would suspend the journalism awards.
In Other News
The Hong Kong Catholic group which organises the Tiananmen Square vigil has cancelled the ceremony, citing fears over the National Security Law, reported the Hong Kong Free Press. The cancellation means that Hong Kong, the last place where the massacre was publicly commemorated, will have no public memorial for the victims. Staff members responsible for organising the events have expressed concern that their safety may be compromised if they are involved in further years. Pro-democracy activists including Jimmy Lai and Gwyneth Ho have been jailed for organising, taking part, and inciting others to participate in the 2020 banned vigil.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, is 5 days into her trip to China, however, China has said that it will be conducted in a “closed-loop” in order to contain the spread of Covid-19, reported The Guardian. Bachelet is expected to travel to the Xinjiang region, though no international journalists will be allowed to travel with her. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, said “the purpose of the private visit is to enhance exchanges and cooperation between both sides and promote the international cause of human rights.”
During Michelle Bachelet’s visit to China and the Xinjiang region, a trove of hacked Chinese police photographs and documents shedding light on the treatment of Uyghurs by the Chinese Communist party were released. The cache, which has been referred to as the Xinjiang police files, was published by the BBC and includes thousands of photographs from the heart of China’s secretive system of mass incarceration in Xinjiang, as well as the shoot-to-kill policy for those who try to escape. In response to the leak, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss condemned the shocking details stating that the “new evidence shows the extraordinary scale of China’s targeting of Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities.”
Hong Kong authorities are considering extending the mandatory exam on the Basic Law, which was introduced in January, to cover many new teachers who join schools in the city, reported the South China Morning Post. So far 70 percent of those who have been tested have passed but now those candidates who did not pass must wait until the next examination, next year at the earliest, to begin teaching.
Liu Guangyuan, commissioner of China’s foreign ministry office in Hong Kong, has claimed that the rule of law around the world is under siege from “countries that claim to promote democracy,” reported the South China Morning Post. Liu said that the rule of law was a core value cherished by the city of Hong Kong and that it will shine again with the support of the central government.