15 February 2024 – Today in Washington D.C. the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a hearing on “Transnational Repression and the U.S. Response”. The session was chaired by Congressmen James McGovern (D) and Christopher Smith (R). Frances Hui, from the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation (CFHK Foundation), spoke about her experiences of being targeted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on American soil.
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission was established to promote, defend, and advocate for international human rights. The Commission collaborates with congressional staff, the US Senate, the Executive branch, and national and international civil society organisations to educate and advocate for engagement with human rights issues.
In her testimony, Frances Hui recalled how she has received both physical and online death threats, endured harassment, stalking, and being photographed by mainland Chinese citizens and even recalls threats to be shot after organising a rally in Boston.
Hui noted that China’s transnational repression has extended beyond its own citizens as the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have named several foreign citizens as co-conspirators in the trial of Jimmy Lai, including Chairman of the CFHK Foundation, and former U.S. Consul General to Hong Kong, James Cunningham.
The other speakers at the session included: Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, Executive Vice President of Freedom House; John Sifton, Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch; Tess McEnery, Executive Director of the Middle East Democracy Centre; Taing Sarada, Cambodian journalist; Elfidar Iltebir, President of the Uyghur American Association; and Abdülhamit Bilici, a Turkish journalist.
In July and December 2023, the Hong Kong authorities issued arrest warrants and HK$1 million bounties on 13 overseas Hong Kong activists including Frances Hui, and began targeting family members who remained in Hong Kong.
Hui called on the U.S. government to sanction Hong Kong officials involved in the crackdown on civil society, to raise concern about CCP transnational repression at any meetings with Chinese officials, provide training about transnational repression for Government officials across all levels, encourage INTERPOL not to implement requests made by authoritarian regimes to target political dissidents, and to pass the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices Certification Act (H.R. 1103).
Frances Hui, CFHK Foundation Policy and Advocacy Coordinator said: “As I come forward to share these personal stories of mine, I want to reaffirm to this Commission that the CCP’s attempt to silence me will only become fuel for my advocacy. I will continue to speak up, to protect my community and advocate for those who are unjustly put behind bars.”
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