TOP NEWS
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation pushed back against the decision to terminate grants funding Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and Radio Free Asia (RFA) as counter to the interests of the United States and the ordinary people of Hong Kong, China, and other repressive states around the world.
CFHK Foundation Adviser Shannon Van Sant, who has worked both for Chinese state media and VOA, told The Times that it was ironic that funding was being withdrawn just as Beijing was increasing its propaganda footprint around the world. “They really give the people of China a voice and shed a light on a lot of issues the Communist Party want silenced,” she said.
Voice of America was founded in 1942 and delivered accurate information to a global audience of more than 350 million until its shuttering this week. (VOA)
Transnational repression targeting Hong Kong activists in exile escalated as mosques in Melbourne, Australia received pamphlets falsely claiming former Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui “is a pro-Jewish man siding with Israel to wage war against those Islamic terrorism [sic],” in an apparent attempt to incite hatred against him.
Fellow Australia-based activist Kevin Yam, who earlier in the week was the target of letters encouraging his neighbours to kidnap him, asked The Age readers whether it would take an actual kidnapping for Australian judges still serving on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal to resign, recalling arguments from the CFHK Foundation’s “Lending Prestige to Persecution” report.
North America – Hong Kong
In Canada, the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) awarded Jimmy Lai its annual Human Rights Award, which recognises outstanding contributions to the advancement of human rights and/or the promotion of the rule of law.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with political commentator Hugh Hewitt about U.S. efforts to free Jimmy Lai. “It’s a priority, we’ve raised it in every possible form. They know it’s important to us. We’re going to continue to raise it,” he said.
Sebastien Lai published an op-ed in The Boston Globe calling on Americans to help free his father, vividly detailing the former Apple Daily owner’s life story and the sham charges he faces.
UK – Hong Kong
The CFHK Foundation joined Amnesty UK, Blair McDougall MP, and other Hong Kong campaign groups in marking the March 19 anniversary of the extraterritorial Article 23 national security legislation by delivering a joint letter demanding UK government action on transnational repression to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
(Front row, from left to right) Blair McDougall MP, Chair of the All-Party Group on Hong Kong, CFHK Foundation’s Chloe Cheung, Amnesty UK CEO Sacha Deshmukh, Thomas Fung of Bonham Tree Aid, and Hong Kong Watch’s Thomas Benson.
Around 6,000 people gathered to protest plans to push through a planning application for a new Chinese super-embassy in London, including CFHK Foundation staffer Chloe Cheung, who spoke with Al Jazeera English.
The Times interviewed Sebastien Lai about the urgency of efforts to free his father.
Hong Kong
Former Hong Kong lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting appealed against his guilty conviction and 37-month jail sentence for rioting during the Yuen Long mob attack in 2019.
Jimmy Lai Biography, ‘Troublemaker’ Updates
CFHK Foundation President Mark Clifford spoke on a webcast hosted by the University of Montana’s Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center.
🔥 Flame of Freedom Blog
The Silencing of Voice of America and Radio Free Asia: What It Means for Hong Kong and Beijing
This blog is authored by freelance journalist Kris Cheng, who has been writing for Voice of America since 2021.
“Without VOA and RFA’s independent reporting, Beijing and other authoritarian actors could more easily flood the information space with state propaganda, presenting a distorted view of reality to both domestic and international audiences. This would be a strategic victory for the Chinese and Hong Kong governments.
Moreover, transnational repression efforts would face even fewer obstacles. The ability to silence exiled dissidents through threats, bounties, and coercion tactics relies on secrecy. The fewer journalists investigating these cases, the less likely they are to be exposed and condemned by the international community.
The erosion of press freedom in Hong Kong is not just a local issue – it is a global one. If independent journalism is allowed to disappear, the repression that has engulfed Hong Kong will only spread further.”
Read more here.