February 5, 2025 – Yesterday, Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation representatives Frances Hui and Shannon Van Sant shared insights on the pressing challenges to religious freedom in Hong Kong and China at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit 2025 in Washington, D.C. Frances Hui, CFHK’s Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, provided a closing testimonial for the panel “The Long Shadow of Transnational Repression: A Global Threat to Human Rights Defenders.” She shared her personal experience as a target of Beijing’s transnational repression, emphasising the dangers faced by dissidents abroad. The discussion explored the diverse tactics used by authoritarian regimes to silence human rights defenders as well as policy solutions to address transnational repression worldwide. Hui called for immediate actions by the U.S. and international community to protect exiled activists and counter authoritarian influence beyond national borders.

Shannon Van Sant, CFHK Foundation’s Strategy and Public Affairs Advisor, spoke on the panel “Media’s Role in Addressing Religious Persecution: Strategies for Engagement and Impact.” The journalists’ panel discussed how media can effectively report on religious persecution, highlighting the challenges in bringing human rights issues to global attention. The panel shared case studies and practical tools for navigating the media landscape, aiming to foster greater public awareness and political engagement in combating religious oppression.

The annual IRF Summit brings together a diverse coalition of partners to advance freedom of religion, conscience, and belief around the world. The CFHK Foundation is proud to have sponsored the summit for the past three years, allowing us to highlight the plight of Hong Kong under the repressive Chinese regime.

Last year, the CFHK Foundation launched a landmark report titled “Hostile Takeover: The CCP and Hong Kong’s Religious Communities,” authored by Frances Hui, at the IRF Summit. The report details the efforts of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to assert control over Hong Kong’s religious sphere, signalling a bleak future for the city’s religious freedoms.

The Foundation’s participation at this year’s summit underscored the urgent need for solidarity in defending human rights, religious freedom, and press freedom against authoritarian threats, both in Hong Kong and worldwide.

Shannon Van Sant, Strategy and Public Affairs Advisor at the CFHK Foundation, said:

“Beijing has long had a fear of the mobilising power of religion. One common thread among the experiences I shared was accessibility. It’s hard in a country that succeeds in control to reach people who have a story to share. You have to be intrepid, listen to people’s stories, and tell them to the world. You must give these issues a platform. Whether you are a reporter, an NGO, or policymaker, you have to make religious freedom a priority, and at the forefront of the issues you promote, engage on, and elevate.”

Frances Hui, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator at the CFHK Foundation, wanted by the Hong Kong authorities with a HK$1 million bounty, said: “Authoritarian states have one goal – that is to silence dissent by increasing the cost of standing up. They are betting on the world to do nothing. We must ensure that standing up for freedom does not come at the cost of exile, fear, or threats. It is time to act – because if we do nothing, authoritarianism will not stop at our borders.”  speeches.