TOP NEWS
Last week, Australian Robert French became the fifth foreign judge to resign from Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal (CFA) following the publication of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation report: “Lending Prestige to Persecution: How Foreign Judges Are Undermining Hong Kong’s Freedom and Why They Should Quit.”
French’s departure leaves just five foreign holdouts on the CFA: the Australians James Allsop, Patrick Keane, and William Gummow, and the British Lords Leonard Hoffman and David Neuberger.
Judge French said he rejects the notion that foreign judges on the CFA are ‘somehow complicit in the application of national security laws.’ (Hong Kong Judiciary.)
U.S. – Hong Kong
CFHK Foundation welcomed the introduction of the Stop Corrupt Communist Party (CCP) Money Laundering Act (S.1339) in the U.S. Senate by Senator John Curtis and Sen. Jeff Merkley.
The bill calls for the Treasury Secretary to submit a determination to the U.S. Congress on whether the U.S. should designate Hong Kong as a Primary Money Laundering Concern (PMLC) jurisdiction.
It also requires a detailed report evaluating the extent that Hong Kong facilitates transfer of products and technologies to Russia, Iran, North Korea, and other sanctioned entities, as well as mainland China, in line with evidence in CFHK Foundation’s “Beneath the Harbor” report.
“Beneath the Harbor” report author Samuel Bickett said:
“Designating Hong Kong as a Primary Money Laundering Concern will impose stricter due diligence requirements on U.S. financial institutions, limit Hong Kong’s access to the U.S. financial system, and deter banks and businesses worldwide from enabling its role in sanctions and export control evasion.”
John Hurley, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes, said he agreed with Sen. Pete Ricketts on the need to address Hong Kong’s growing role in sanctions evasion, saying he supports enlisting allies to help with anti-evasion efforts.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) released a new report detailing Hong Kong’s roles in fentanyl-related illicit finance. Based on bank reports shared with Treasury under the Bank Secrecy Act, Hong Kong, and China combined had more involvement with fentanyl precursor sales, fentanyl trafficking, and fentanyl-related money laundering than any other foreign country.
Bank Secrecy Act reporting identified Hong Kong-based subjects potentially facilitating
precursor chemical sales and money laundering.
“What does a trade war with China mean for Jimmy Lai?” Zelda Caldwell asked in the National Catholic Register.
CFHK Foundation President Mark Clifford said: “[Amid] heightened trade tensions, it’s more important than ever that discussions continue in these less highly charged areas. When Sino-U.S. relations do start warming, letting Jimmy Lai out of prison would be a low-cost, high-reward gesture on the part of China.”
UK – Hong Kong
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey wrote to Foreign Secretary David Lammy requesting that the UK government pause ministerial visits to China until it receives an explanation as to why his colleague Wera Hobhouse MP was denied entry to Hong Kong to visit her grandson last week.
In the Daily Mail, Kumail Jaffer detailed the full extent of Chinese Communist Party repression tactics targeting Hong Kongers in exile worldwide, leading with CFHK Foundation staffers Chloe Cheung and Frances Hui.
Hong Kong
On Hong Kong’s 10th National Security Day, education minister Christine Choi said schoolchildren are on the “frontline” of a battle to prevent “soft resistance” infiltrating their thoughts and promoting “extreme, biased” values.
Democratic Party members approved plans to disband the 30-year-old party after Chinese officials warned senior members they should close before upcoming legislative elections.
Amnesty International opened a Hong Kong office in exile, led by Hong Kong diaspora activists operating from Australia, Canada, Taiwan, the UK and the U.S.
🔥Flame of Freedom Blog
Why the CCP Places Bounties on Overseas Hong Kongers and How the West Can Counter Them
This blog was authored by Brian Kern, author of three books and numerous articles about the Hong Kong freedom struggle.
“A component of the effort is what might be termed “hostage-taking”: the regime intends to send a message to Hong Kongers abroad that their families, friends, and associates in Hong Kong can be punished for their actions. The regime seeks to control the behaviour of Hong Kongers abroad by holding this prospect (in the form of an implied threat) over them.
Ten of the 19 overseas Hong Kongers for whom arrest warrants and bounties have been issued have had family members detained for interrogation in Hong Kong. In all, 41 relatives have been targeted in this manner. In addition, seven former associates have been arrested, one former associate was placed “under investigation,” four former associates have been detained for interrogation, and four have been arrested for allegedly providing financial assistance to wanted overseas Hong Kongers, among other incidents of persecution related to the arrest warrants and bounties.”
Read more here.