Hong Kong Watch addresses United Nations Universal Periodic Review pre-session on China in Geneva

Hong Kong Watch addressed the United Nations Pre-Session for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on China in Geneva today, and called on member states to ensure that Hong Kong is highlighted extensively during the UPR in January 2024.

The UPR is a UN review process which every member state is required to go through every four to five years, and is a mechanism to ensure scrutiny of every country’s human rights record and recommendations for improvement.

Benedict Rogers, co-founder and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch, detailed key recommendations for UN Member States to consider making to China in the UPR, and referenced recommendations already made by the UN Human Rights Committee, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Special Procedures.

In his statement delivered on behalf of Hong Kong Watch in consultation with Hong Kongers from other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Mr Rogers said: “As this UPR focuses on human rights in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since 2018, we urge member states to highlight the drastic human rights violations in Hong Kong in this time period. Although many regions of the PRC face very serious human rights violations, Hong Kong has undergone the most dramatic changes in this period, shifting from one of Asia’s most open cities to a police state. It is therefore vital that member states make recommendations to the PRC that include Hong Kong during this UPR.”

In Hong Kong Watch’s statement, Mr Rogers echoed the UN Human Rights Committee’s recommendation for China to “repeal and refrain from applying” the National Security Law as well as the sedition law. Hong Kong Watch also made the following recommendations:

  • end the arbitrary detention of Hong Kong lawyer Chow Hang-tung, release Jimmy Lai and all other political prisoners;

  • stop eroding the judicial independence and the rule of law in Hong Kong;

  • withdraw the arrest warrants with bounties against eight peaceful, exiled Hong Kong activists and cease the harassment of their relatives and friends in Hong Kong and others in the Hong Kong diaspora;

  • ensure that trade unions can carry out their legitimate functions and exercise their rights;

  • take urgent steps to ensure people in Hong Kong are able to exercise their right of peaceful assembly without fear;

  • address the excessive force used by the Hong Kong Police Force in the 2019 protests and ensure that the use of force by law enforcement agencies is fully compliant with UN Human Rights Guidance on Less-Lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement and Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials.

In a Question and Answer session, Mr Rogers drew attention to the lack of the right to political participation in the forthcoming district council elections on 10 December, pointing out that the pro-democracy camp is completely excluded from fielding candidates. He also highlighted the Hong Kong government’s plans to introduce a further security law by invoking Article 23 of Hong Kong’s Basic Law.

Mr Rogers said:

“We are grateful to have been invited to speak today at the UN about the human rights situation in Hong Kong ahead of the UPR.

It was a very valuable opportunity to engage and inform diplomats from a wide range of member states, to shine a light on the many human rights violations in Hong Kong, including the current and upcoming trials and political prisoners such as Chow Hang-Tung and Jimmy Lai.

Our message is clear: in the period since the last UPR in 2018, Hong Kong is the region of the PRC which has deteriorated most rapidly, substantially and dramatically, in breach of Hong Kong and China’s international human rights obligations and the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which is a UN-registered treaty.

We hope many member states will respond positively and ensure that Hong Kong is raised widely during the forthcoming UPR process.”

In addition to the Pre-Session, Mr Rogers also engaged in private briefings with diplomats of several member states, as part of Hong Kong Watch’s continuing UN advocacy.

香港監察赴日內瓦出席聯合國中國普遍定期審議會前會議並發言

香港監察今天在日內瓦聯合國對中國的普遍定期審議（UPR）會前會議上發言，呼籲成員國在2024年1月普遍定期審議展開期間，確保香港得到廣泛關注。

普遍定期審議是聯合國的審議程序，要求各成員國每四至五年接受審議，是審議各國人權紀錄並提出改善建議的機制。

香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）詳細講述了聯合國成員國在普遍定期審議中可考慮向中國提出的重要建議，並引用了聯合國人權事務委員會、經濟、社會及文化權利委員會、任意拘留問題工作小組和人權理事會特別程序早前提出的建議。

羅傑斯在代表香港監察並與其他非政府組織的香港人商討後發表的聲明中表示：「鑒於今次普遍定期審議聚焦中國2018年以來的人權狀況，我們促請成員國重點關注這段時期香港發生的嚴重侵犯人權行為。雖然中國許多地區都發生非常嚴重的侵犯人權行為，但香港在這段時期經歷了最劇烈的變化，從亞洲最開放的城市之一變成警察城市。因此，成員國在普遍定期審議期間向中國提出涵蓋香港的建議極為重要。」

在香港監察的聲明中，羅傑斯重提聯合國人權事務委員會向中國提出「廢除及切勿採用」《國家安全法》及煽動叛亂法的建議。此外，香港監察提出下列建議：

  • 停止任意拘留香港律師鄒幸彤，釋放黎智英及所有其他政治犯；

  • 停止破壞香港司法獨立和法治；

  • 撤銷向八名流亡海外的和平香港社運人士發出的懸紅通緝令，並停止騷擾他們在香港的親友及其他海外香港人；

  • 確保工會能夠履行合法職能並行使權利；

  • 採取緊急措施，確保香港人能夠免於恐懼地行使和平集會權利；

  • 處理香港警隊在2019年抗爭中過度使用武力的問題，並確保執法機關所使用的武力完全符合《聯合國關於在執法中使用低致命性武器的人權指南》和《執法人員使用武力和火器的基本原則》下的規定。

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