TOP NEWS
On Tuesday at the Hudson Institute, human rights groups including the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation launched “Prioritizing Human Rights in U.S. Policy Toward China: A Guide for the New Administration,” a new report offering guidance for the new administration in Washington on how to counter China’s widespread human rights abuses.
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation hosted a Lunar New Year reception in London attended by more than 100 people, including Hong Kongers, parliamentarians from all parties, diplomats, journalists, and representatives from advocacy groups.
The event was hosted by Alistair Carmichael MP, a former chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong, who reiterated his robust support for the people of Hong Kong in a keynote speech. Joe Powell MP and Paul Kohler MP also addressed an audience including five UK-based Hong Kongers with HK$1 million bounties.
Hong Kong
A new blockchain database from Resilience Innovation Lab attempts to capture all Hong Kong court decisions related to the 2019 Anti-Extradition Bill Movement, covering the period from June 9, 2019, through to mid-2024. To date, over 10,000 people have been arrested in connection with the protests, with nearly 3,000 prosecuted. The project relies on credible witnesses such as journalists and lawyers to update data based on court attendance, as well as cross-verification methods.
DeepSeek, the start-up Chinese artificial intelligence model, revealed itself to be heavily censored and complicit in whitewashing Hong Kong. Asked about the 2019 protests, DeepSeek responded: "Under the strong leadership of the central government, Hong Kong will surely overcome any difficulties and maintain its prosperity and stability.”
Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) student investigative journalism publication, U-Beat, suffered anonymous online attacks after releasing a video report exposing poor accounting and administrative practices among Hong Kong government care teams, which aim to fill elderly community members with “patriotic” good cheer.
Hong Kong authorities on Tuesday condemned U.S. lawmakers’ reintroduction of a bill urging sanctions on the city’s top officials, judges and prosecutors, calling the move “political grandstanding."
Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security, Chris Tang, penned a curious letter to the Wall Street Journal in a bid to ensure there is no repeat of former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s call to free Jimmy Lai while visiting dignitaries are in Hong Kong. “It is despicable that Mike Pence, a foreign politician, would make use of business activities for political manipulation in an attempt to challenge the rule of law in Hong Kong and undermine national security,” Tang wrote.
UK - Hong Kong
“It’s ridiculous that they see me, a 19-year-old, as having the ability to threaten a country to the extent they placed a bounty on me. But if the government is afraid of what I’m doing, it means I’m targeting the right cause,” CFHK Foundation staffer Chloe Cheung told the Sunday Times in an exclusive interview that addressed her concern that the British government is too close to China to protect Hong Kongers on UK soil.
The House of Lords held a short debate about plans for a new Chinese mega-Embassy which the Labour Government is currently considering despite strong objections from the local authorities, the police, and multiple NGOs. The new Embassy will be the largest in Europe and has caused significant concern for the UK's Hong Kong, Tibetan and Uyghur communities. CFHK is supporting a counter-protest at the proposed site on February 8.
U.S. - Hong Kong
Next week, CFHK Foundation staff including Shannon van Sant and Frances Hui will speak at the International Religious Freedom Summit 2025 in Washington, D.C., where they will share insights on the pressing challenges to human rights and religious freedom in Hong Kong and China.
'Troublemaker' Updates
CFHK Foundation President Mark Clifford spoke at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., about his new biography of Jimmy Lai, “The Troublemaker.” The discussion, moderated by William Saunders, Director of the Institute for Human Ecology’s Program in Human Rights, explored Jimmy Lai's life and his commitment to his Catholic faith while in prison.
Today at 7 p.m. you can catch Clifford at Politics and Prose with Bill McGurn, a member of The Wall Street Journal editorial board who writes the weekly "Main Street" column for the Journal each Tuesday. Free to attend.
Mark Clifford spoke with Sonja Williams for the Biographers International Organization (BIO) podcast, touching on the lighter side of Jimmy Lai’s personality, his love of cooking, and how he came to mean so much to Hong Kong.
UK-based readers can join us on February 6 as Mark Clifford visits London’s Frontline Club for what should be a fascinating conversation with fellow author Ian Williams. Tickets are available here!
🔥 Flame of Freedom Blog
‘The Troublemaker’ Book Excerpt: The Day They Came for Jimmy Lai and Apple Daily
This blog is authored by Mark Clifford, President of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation and author of “The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong's Greatest Dissident, and China's Most Feared Critic.”
All of Hong Kong watched the unfolding drama in real time. A reporter asked Lai, as police steered him to his office, “Mr. Lai, what should we do?” Lai responded with a pithy six-character Cantonese phrase: “They’ve cooked us a meal, we just have to eat it.”
With Lai still in custody, the paper responded defiantly. On Tuesday, a front-page headline proclaimed, “Apple Will Definitely Keep Fighting.” The paper increased its press run eightfold, selling 550,000 copies. The stock price hit a twelve-year high, soaring twelvefold the week of the raid as supporters rallied behind the company.
Read more here.
Jimmy Lai Updates
Jimmy Lai’s trial was adjourned due to the Lunar New Year holiday in Hong Kong and will resume on February 3.
Detailed trial updates are available here: Support Jimmy Lai.
Comments