PRESS RELEASE: Former Director of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily Mark Clifford testifies to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on the State of Civil and Political Rights in Hong Kong
New York, NY, 19 October - The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) President Mark Clifford testified at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing held to examine civil and political rights in Hong Kong, lamenting the destruction of freedom of expression and information.
Mr Clifford’s remarks to the Commission on 14 October noted that the provisions laid out in the Sino-British Joint Declaration have been eroded at an alarming pace in the 15 months since a sweeping National Security Law was put in place. He cited the dismantling of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, whose newsroom was raided, staff arrested and jailed, and bank accounts frozen as evidence of the scant regard China has for the freedoms it promised Hong Kong.
Mr Clifford shared his experience of going through the “deliberate destruction of one of Hong Kong’s most important media companies,” Next Digital Ltd., publisher of Apple Daily, where he was an independent non-executive director from 2018 until his resignation last month.
Apple Daily was Hong Kong’s most important and influential pro-democracy newspaper, one that has long been a thorn in the side of Beijing. So threatened was China by Apple’s influence and reach that they have jailed the company’s founder and controlling shareholder, Jimmy Lai. Six other journalists from the company are also in jail, refused bail, and awaiting trial on National Security Law charges.
Speaking after his testimony, Mr Clifford said:
“This is a coordinated attack by a relentless government; the few remaining independent-minded journalists live with the possibility of prosecution under the National Security Law and other laws. It appears that the Chinese Government will not let up until all dissenting voices are hammered into submission.
“Free, independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda, as the Nobel Committee noted in awarding this year’s Peace Prize to a pair of crusading journalists. Freedom of the press is a prerequisite for a democratic society.
“We have never in modern times seen the destruction of freedom in an open, prosperous city of the sort we are now witnessing in Hong Kong. This is a tragedy of historic dimensions.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
The Sino-British Joint Declaration is the 1984 treaty between the governments of the UK and China setting the conditions under which Hong Kong was transferred to Chinese control on 1 July 1997.
The Chinese government declared in the treaty its basic policies for governing Hong Kong after the transfer. A Special Administrative Region (SAR) would be established in the territory that would be self-governing with a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign affairs and defence. Hong Kong would maintain its existing governing and economic systems separate from that of mainland China under the principle of “One Country, Two Systems”. This blueprint was enshrined in the Hong Kong Basic Law (the post-handover mini-constitution) and the central government’s policies for the territory were to remain unchanged until 2047.
However, recent Chinese activity indicates they believe the treaty is spent and have no intention of continuing to comply with the Basic Law. Indeed, in 2017 Chinese Foreign Ministry officials said the arrangements under the Joint Declaration are “now history”, and in July 2019 China said, “Hong Kong’s affairs are purely China’s internal affairs”. The territory’s way of life, which has seen it become one of the safest and prosperous territories in the world, has been shattered by the Chinese Government’s merciless attack on democratic values and principles.
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission was established in 2008 with the unanimous consent of the United States House of Representatives. Tom Lantos was the only Holocaust survivor to have served in the United States Congress, having represented the 11th and 12th congressional districts in California between 1981 and 2008. The Commission is charged with promoting, defending, and advocating for international human rights. The Commission undertakes public education activities, provides expert human rights advice, and encourages members of Congress to actively engage in human rights matters. In carrying out its mandate, the Commission collaborates with congressional staff, the U.S Senate and the executive branch, as well as continually engaging with national and international civil society organisations.
About the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) presses for political and economic consequences for China’s failure to keep its promises regarding Hong Kong’s freedoms. CFHK supports the rule of law, freedom of expression, and the release of political prisoners – and urges the business community to stand against China’s assault on freedom, which imperils Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre. Hong Kong’s fate is linked to the preservation of freedom, democracy, and international law in the region and around the world.
For more information, please contact:
media@thecfhk.org
www.thecfhk.org
@thecfhk
Mr Clifford’s remarks to the Commission on 14 October noted that the provisions laid out in the Sino-British Joint Declaration have been eroded at an alarming pace in the 15 months since a sweeping National Security Law was put in place. He cited the dismantling of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, whose newsroom was raided, staff arrested and jailed, and bank accounts frozen as evidence of the scant regard China has for the freedoms it promised Hong Kong.
Mr Clifford shared his experience of going through the “deliberate destruction of one of Hong Kong’s most important media companies,” Next Digital Ltd., publisher of Apple Daily, where he was an independent non-executive director from 2018 until his resignation last month.
Apple Daily was Hong Kong’s most important and influential pro-democracy newspaper, one that has long been a thorn in the side of Beijing. So threatened was China by Apple’s influence and reach that they have jailed the company’s founder and controlling shareholder, Jimmy Lai. Six other journalists from the company are also in jail, refused bail, and awaiting trial on National Security Law charges.
Speaking after his testimony, Mr Clifford said:
“This is a coordinated attack by a relentless government; the few remaining independent-minded journalists live with the possibility of prosecution under the National Security Law and other laws. It appears that the Chinese Government will not let up until all dissenting voices are hammered into submission.
“Free, independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda, as the Nobel Committee noted in awarding this year’s Peace Prize to a pair of crusading journalists. Freedom of the press is a prerequisite for a democratic society.
“We have never in modern times seen the destruction of freedom in an open, prosperous city of the sort we are now witnessing in Hong Kong. This is a tragedy of historic dimensions.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
The Sino-British Joint Declaration is the 1984 treaty between the governments of the UK and China setting the conditions under which Hong Kong was transferred to Chinese control on 1 July 1997.
The Chinese government declared in the treaty its basic policies for governing Hong Kong after the transfer. A Special Administrative Region (SAR) would be established in the territory that would be self-governing with a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign affairs and defence. Hong Kong would maintain its existing governing and economic systems separate from that of mainland China under the principle of “One Country, Two Systems”. This blueprint was enshrined in the Hong Kong Basic Law (the post-handover mini-constitution) and the central government’s policies for the territory were to remain unchanged until 2047.
However, recent Chinese activity indicates they believe the treaty is spent and have no intention of continuing to comply with the Basic Law. Indeed, in 2017 Chinese Foreign Ministry officials said the arrangements under the Joint Declaration are “now history”, and in July 2019 China said, “Hong Kong’s affairs are purely China’s internal affairs”. The territory’s way of life, which has seen it become one of the safest and prosperous territories in the world, has been shattered by the Chinese Government’s merciless attack on democratic values and principles.
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission was established in 2008 with the unanimous consent of the United States House of Representatives. Tom Lantos was the only Holocaust survivor to have served in the United States Congress, having represented the 11th and 12th congressional districts in California between 1981 and 2008. The Commission is charged with promoting, defending, and advocating for international human rights. The Commission undertakes public education activities, provides expert human rights advice, and encourages members of Congress to actively engage in human rights matters. In carrying out its mandate, the Commission collaborates with congressional staff, the U.S Senate and the executive branch, as well as continually engaging with national and international civil society organisations.
About the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) presses for political and economic consequences for China’s failure to keep its promises regarding Hong Kong’s freedoms. CFHK supports the rule of law, freedom of expression, and the release of political prisoners – and urges the business community to stand against China’s assault on freedom, which imperils Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre. Hong Kong’s fate is linked to the preservation of freedom, democracy, and international law in the region and around the world.
For more information, please contact:
media@thecfhk.org
www.thecfhk.org
@thecfhk