The Times: 'Hong Kong threatens British human rights activist'

The head of a British human rights charity has been told by the Hong Kong government that he could be charged with “collusion with foreign forces” unless he takes down its website.

Benedict Rogers, chief executive of Hong Kong Watch, which promotes human rights there, has received a formal warning from the police saying that his website is in breach of its national security law, introduced in 2020.

Rogers, who is based in London, was told in a letter that there was “reasonable ground for suspecting” that his website “is likely to constitute an offence endangering national security”. The letter tells Rogers that he could face a fine of almost £1,000 or a prison sentence.

Days earlier Hong Kong Watch’s website became inaccessible through some networks in Hong Kong, raising fears of internet censorship.

Beijing’s introduction of the security law led to mass protests. It punishes with jail sentences what the authorities define as subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism.

The letter to Rogers accuses his charity of “engaging in activities seriously interfering in the affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and jeopardising national security of the People’s Republic of China”.

Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, said the Hong Kong authorities were “attempting to silence” supporters of “freedom and democracy”. “The unjustifiable action taken against the UK-based NGO Hong Kong Watch is clearly an attempt to silence those who stand up for human rights in Hong Kong,” she said.

“The Chinese government and Hong Kong authorities must respect the universal right to freedom of speech and uphold that right in Hong Kong in accordance with international commitments.

“Attempting to silence voices globally that speak up for freedom and democracy is unacceptable and will never succeed.”

Rogers said: “By threatening a UK-based [charity] with financial penalties and jail for merely reporting on the human rights situation in Hong Kong, this letter exemplifies why Hong Kong’s national security law is so dangerous. We will not be silenced by an authoritarian security apparatus, which, through a mixture of senseless brutality and ineptitude, has triggered rapid mass migration out of the city and shut down civil society.”

Lord Patten of Barnes, the last British governor of Hong Kong and a patron of Hong Kong Watch, said: “This is another disgraceful example of Mr Putin’s friends in Beijing and their quislings in Hong Kong trying not only to stamp out freedom of expression and information in Hong Kong but also to internationalise their campaign against evidence, freedom and honesty.”

This article was published on The Times on 14 March 2022.

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