Top News
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation condemned the introduction in Hong Kong of new national security laws that criminalise interference in the operations of the Beijing-controlled Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS), and clarify in Hong Kong’s domestic Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, known as Article 23, the pathway through which the OSNS can take control of national security cases and transfer jurisdiction from Hong Kong to mainland China.
Jimmy Lai won the prestigious Award for Courage at the 8th Copenhagen Democracy Summit in Denmark. The award recognises individuals who demonstrate exceptional bravery in their commitment to human rights, democracy, and freedom, often at significant personal risk.
CFHK Foundation joined 61 other rights organisations in signing a joint letter calling for the immediate release of Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan on the fifth anniversary of her first arrest for reporting on the outbreak of COVID-19. Her health has severely deteriorated due to her intermittent hunger strikes in protest at her arbitrary detention in China.
Hong Kong
New Zealand judge Sir William Young accepted a position as a non-permanent overseas judge on Hong Kong’s Court of Appeal, allowing the authorities to use his reputation to mask their undermining of Hong Kong’s autonomy and rule of law. He is the first overseas judge to join the CFA since the publication of our report, “Lending Prestige to Persecution: How Foreign Judges are Undermining Hong Kong’s Freedoms and Why They Should Quit.”
Sir William Young appears willing to risk his reputation in return for the
payments and privileges attached to a role on Hong Kong’s top court. (Wiki Commons)
CFHK Foundation UK Director Mark Sabah told New Zealand’s The Post that the appointment was “inconceivable” and urged “Judge Young and any other retired common law judge not to accept seats in Hong Kong, where rule of law has been subverted by the Chinese Communist Party as a tool to legitimise imprisonment of political opponents.”
A documentary titled “A Single Spark A Little Blaze” focused solely on the veteran Hong Kong journalist Ronson Chan was pulled from internationals screenings in Taiwan, Canada, the U.S., and the UK, due to “pressure on the interviewee.”
North America – Hong Kong
Congressmen Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) introduced new legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to address money laundering and violations of export controls and sanctions in Hong Kong. Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) have introduced the companion bill in the Senate, the Stop CCP Money Laundering Act.
Shannon Van Sant, Strategy and Public Affairs Advisor for the CFHK Foundation, said: “Hong Kong was once a trusted partner in maintaining global stability. It has now emerged as the global hub for illicit finance and trade, facilitating the flow of military technology, money and resources to sanctioned regimes. We applaud Representatives Wilson and Panetta for acting to stem this flow of illicit trade through Hong Kong and call on the House and Senate to consider these bills in committee as soon as possible.”
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned another Hong Kong company, this time over its support for Iran’s ballistic missile program, further underscoring Hong Kong’s emergence as a hub for sanctions-busting trade with authoritarian regimes.
CFHK Foundation congratulated Canadian Senator Leo Housakos, a longstanding supporter of Hong Kong and opponent of the CCP, on taking over from the retiring Senator Don Plett as leader of the Conservative opposition in Canada’s Senate.
UK – Hong Kong
In the British parliament, lawmakers including Blair McDougall MP, Christine Jardine MP, and Iain Duncan Smith MP raised the issue of consular assistance for British nationals arbitrarily detained overseas and, in particular, the case of British national Jimmy Lai.
German public broadcaster ARD aired a short documentary on the CCP’s oppression of Hong Kong activists in the UK, including CFHK Foundation Advocacy and Public Affairs Junior Manager Chloe Cheung.