TOP NEWS
Representatives Young Kim and Jim McGovern introduced the Hong Kong Sanctions Act in the U.S. House of Representatives Friday, aiming to hold 48 named officials, judges and prosecutors accountable for their roles in the political persecution of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. The bill would require the president to determine within 180 days of its passage whether individuals included in the bill qualify for sanctions under existing U.S. legislation.
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation Policy and Advocacy Coordinator Frances Hui said: “The Hong Kong Sanctions Act represents a critical step in addressing the erosion of judicial independence in Hong Kong and holding these bad actors accountable. The people of Hong Kong need to know they are not forgotten.”
In the UK, Blair McDougall MP on Wednesday introduced the ‘Jimmy Lai Bill’ in the British parliament, aiming to provide a legal right to consular access for British journalists detained abroad. Formally known as the ‘Consular Assistance (Journalists) Bill,’ it would ensure that British officials would be legally obliged to visit British journalists, like Jimmy Lai, who are arbitrarily detained or held hostage by state actors.
Blair McDougall MP (standing) presents the ‘Jimmy Lai Bill’ in parliament. (Parliament TV)
Hong Kong
A 36-year-old man was on Tuesday charged with sedition under Hong Kong’s Article 23 national security legislation over social media posts. Li Chun-kit is accused of “publishing statements, photos, and/or pictures on Facebook with an intent to bring people into hatred, contempt or disaffection against” Hong Kong, and inciting violence or unlawful acts.
Two of Chung Kim-wah's brothers and a sister were questioned by Hong Kong police Tuesday in connection with accusations of secession and collusion with foreign forces that led to the issue of a HK$1 million bounty for the former pollster on Christmas Eve.
Hong Kong CEO John Lee claimed to seek warmer ties with the incoming Trump administration but one of his officials sent a less than welcoming message, labelling former Vice President Mike Pence’s call for China to free Jimmy Lai while in Hong Kong last week as a “malicious” attempt to interfere with Lai’s ongoing National Security Law trial.
The impact from CFHK Foundation’s “Lending Prestige to Persecution” report that led to the resignation of several foreign judges from Hong Kong’s bench continues to be felt, with the city’s top judge defending judicial independence and claiming the exodus was due to escalating geopolitical tensions and “orchestrated harassment.”
Former lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting appealed for a shorter sentence for his rioting conviction relating to a mob attack in Yuen Long in 2019, with his lawyer noting he felt it was his duty to de-escalate tensions.
UK - Hong Kong
The UK press woke up to the injustice of CFHK Foundation Media and Communications Junior Manager Chloe Cheung’s HK$1m bounty, led by Lord Charles Moore in The Telegraph, who contrasted her bravery in speaking up for freedom in Hong Kong with the lack of courage being shown by the British government in standing up for her.
Times reporter Tom Ball published an interview tracing Chloe Cheung’s story while his stablemate, columnist Jawad Iqbal, took up the call for the government to expedite her request for a British passport.
Latika Bourke platformed Chloe Cheung alongside Finn Lau, another UK-based Hong Kong activist living under a Hong Kong police bounty, in her Latika Takes podcast. Their eloquence speaks volumes.
(Left to right) Latika Bourke interviews Chloe Cheung and Finn Lau for Latika Takes.
Indo-Pacific Minister Catherine West posted on social media acknowledging that she and Foreign Minister David Lammy met with Chloe Cheung and other recently bountied Hong Kongers in the UK last week. “The safety of the UK's Hong Kong community is a priority. Attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, or harm critics overseas are unacceptable,” she said.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson condemned the meeting as “blatant interference in the rule of law in Hong Kong,” adding that the UK is “despicable” for “harbouring” British National Overseas visa holders such as Chloe Cheung and Carmen Lau.
Hong Kong rights groups including the CFHK Foundation are supporting the organization of a large-scale protest against a proposed new Chinese mega-embassy in London on February 8.
U.S. - Hong Kong
Having contributed to an amicus brief in support of the legislation, the CFHK Foundation is gratified that the Supreme Court last Friday unanimously upheld the federal law mandating the separation of TikTok from the Chinese Communist Party. We continue to support the full and immediate implementation of this law to protect the human rights of all U.S. citizens.
The CFHK Foundation congratulated Senator Marco Rubio on his unanimous confirmation as Secretary of State. We look forward to working with him and his team on restoring freedom for Hong Kong.
The Wire China published an interview with CFHK Foundation President Mark Clifford that gets to the heart of why Jimmy Lai’s story and fate is so important to Hong Kong and poses important questions about the possibility of a political solution that will eventually secure his release.
The China Strategic Risks Institute flagged Hong Kong’s emergence as a hub for sanctions evasion as a likely defining issue of U.S.-China relations in the year ahead, citing the CFHK Foundation’s “Beneath the Harbor” report in its quarterly briefing Wednesday.
'Troublemaker' Updates
Mark Clifford spoke with Frank Lavin for the Books and Insight podcast, sharing stories from "The Troublemaker,” his new biography of Jimmy Lai, and delving into why his former Apple Daily colleague has the “soul of a Russian poet.”
Writing in the Washington Examiner, David Reinhard picks out Jimmy Lai’s Catholic faith and “the story of the ennoblement of a soul that has found peace” as the standout element of Clifford’s “stunning” biography.
“As authoritarianism spreads around the world, Mark Clifford's biography of defiant Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai is more relevant than ever,” writes Pak Yiu in the Nikkei, noting that Clifford digs through interviews with Lai and those close to him as well as his prison letters.
We welcome those in Washington to join us at The Catholic University next Thursday, January 30, for a conversation on “The Troublemaker” featuring Mark Clifford and William Saunders, Director of Catholic University’s Institute for Human Ecology’s Program in Human Rights.
Readers in London can catch Mark Clifford in conversation with fellow author and journalist Ian Williams at The Frontline Club on the evening of February 6. Tickets are available here.
🔥 Flame of Freedom Blog
Misreading the Mood Music: The UK’s China Engagement Risks Derailing Transatlantic Ties
This blog is authored by Darren Spinck, an associate research fellow for the Henry Jackson Society’s Centre for Indo-Pacific Studies.
As the UK seemingly deepens its economic ties with the CCP and appears committed to strengthening the PRC’s access to western capital markers, London’s actions appear increasingly at odds with the stark warnings coming from its closest ally, the United States.
Read more here.
Jimmy Lai Updates
As Jimmy Lai’s bogus national security trial continued in Hong Kong, prosecutors cited interactions with the CFHK Foundation Chairman and former U.S. Consul General to Hong Kong, Ambassador James Cunningham, as evidence to support charges of “conspiring to collude with foreign forces.”
Lai acknowledged introducing Ambassador Cunningham to then-Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and covering Cunningham’s travel expenses to Taiwan but denied acting as a middleman or agent for either the U.S. or Taiwan governments.
Detailed trial updates are available here: Support Jimmy Lai.
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