Hong Kong Watch releases new religious freedom report in Washington, DC
This week Hong Kong Watch has held three launch events in Washington, DC for our new report, “Sell Out My Soul: The Impending Threats to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Hong Kong, following the successful launch last week in the European Parliament in Brussels.
On Tuesday 14 November, our co-founder and Chief Executive Benedict Rogers presented the report at an event hosted by the Religious Freedom Institute, a think-tank founded by the former Director of the US State Department Office of Religious Freedom, Dr Thomas Farr. We were delighted that the internationally-respected author and thinker Dr Os Guinness, a well-known champion of religious freedom, joined the event.
A video of the event can be viewed here.
On Wednesday 15 November, Benedict Rogers addressed the Hudson Institute at an event chaired by the think-tank’s Senior Fellow and Director of the China Centre Dr Miles Yu, who previously served as China advisor to former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Mr Rogers then joined a panel discussion with Hudson Institute’s Senior Fellows Nina Shea, Director of the Center for Religious Freedom, Nury Turkel, former Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and Olivia Enos.
The discussion can be viewed here.
On Thursday 16 November, Hong Kong Watch was delighted to partner with the International Republican Institute (IRI) for a third event on religious freedom in Hong Kong. Introduced by IRI President Dr Daniel Twining, Benedict Rogers participated in a dialogue with IRI’s regional director for East Asia and the Pacific, Adam King, and engaged in a question and answer session with the audience.
Mr Rogers and our new Research and Policy Advisor in Washington, DC, Anouk Wear, who will be leading our US advocacy, met with policy-makers in the US Congress, including Congressman Chris Smith, the Chair of the Congressional Executive Commission on China (CECC), staff of the Select Committee on China, other Congressional and Senate staff and a brief meeting with the House Majority Leader, Congressman Steve Scalise, to present our new report. We also met with officials in the US State Department, including the Office of International Religious Freedom, and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Hong Kong Watch will hold events and meetings in the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa next week to release the report in Canada, and in the Houses of Parliament in London on 30 November.
This project is funded by a grant from the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD).
香港監察赴華府發布香港宗教自由報告 會見美國國會及行政當局中國委員會主席等多位政策制訂者
繼上週在布魯塞爾歐洲議會順利發布新報告《出賣我靈：香港宗教或信仰自由即將面臨的威脅》（Sell Out My Soul: The Impending Threats to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Hong Kong）後，香港監察本週在華盛頓特區舉辦了三場發布會。
週二（14日），香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）在由宗教自由研究所（Religious Freedom Institute）主辦的發布會上宣讀報告。宗教自由研究所是由前美國國務院國際宗教自由辦公室（Office of International Religious Freedom）主任Thomas Farr創立的智庫。我們很高興享譽國際的作家兼思想家、著名宗教自由捍衛者Os Guinness出席了活動。
請在此處觀看活動影片。
週三（15日），羅傑斯在由哈德遜研究所（Hudson Institute）資深研究員暨中國中心（China Center）總監余茂春（Miles Yu）主持的發布會上就報告發表演講。余茂春博士曾擔任前美國國務卿蓬佩奧（Mike Pompeo）的中國政策顧問。羅傑斯隨後與多位哈德遜研究所資深研究員展開討論，包括宗教自由中心（Center for Religious Freedom）總監Nina Shea、前美國國際宗教自由委員會（US Commission on International Religious Freedom）主席Nury Turkel和Olivia Enos。
請在此處觀看討論。
週四（16日），香港監察很高興與國際共和學會（International Republican Institute，簡稱IRI）合作舉辦第三場發布會，探討香港宗教自由。經過IRI主席Daniel Twining的介紹後，羅傑斯與IRI東亞及太平洋地區總監Adam King展開對話，並與觀眾在問答環節中交流。
羅傑斯聯同香港監察新任美國研究及政策顧問華穆清（Anouk Wear）會晤了美國國會政策制訂者，其中包括美國國會及行政當局中國委員會（CECC）主席、眾議員Chris Smith、美中特設委員會工作人員、其他參眾兩院工作人員，並簡短會見了眾議院多數黨領袖、眾議員Steve Scalise，匯報新報告內容。我們亦會晤了美國國務院官員，其中包括國際宗教自由辦公室和美國國際宗教自由委員會官員。
香港監察下週將在渥太華加拿大國會舉行發布會和會議，並於11月30日在倫敦英國國會發布報告。