Hong Kong Watch welcomes publication of UN documents in advance of Universal Periodic Review
Yesterday, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published three documents in preparation for the upcoming Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of China, which will take place on 23 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.
The documents are the Summary of stakeholders’ submissions on China, the Compilation of information prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the National report submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1 and 16/21. The document titles are available for download here.
The Summary of stakeholders’ submissions on China is the OHCHR’s compilation of the reports submitted by NGOs, including Hong Kong Watch, in July 2023. The Summary submissions highlighted the following points from Hong Kong Watch’s submissions:
“the passage of the National Security Law in June 2020 was a major catalyst that precipitated attacks on internet freedoms, especially through the application of the law to block specific websites, arrest and prosecute individuals for online speech, and engage in transnational actions against internet companies and websites in other countries” (§ 59)
“repeal the National Security Law; restore the right of defendants using legal aid to choose their own lawyer; ensure the practice of trial by jury in all national security cases; restore the presumption of bail in national security cases; and stop all acts of intimidation, harassment and attacks on human rights lawyers, particularly those who represented opposition figures or protesters and who requested judicial reviews” (§60)
Hong Kong Watch made three joint submissions to the UN Universal Periodic Review of the People’s Republic of China. These focus on human rights violations related to the 2019 protests, the National Security Law, civil society, political prisoners, women’s rights, and freedom of the media. The full submissions are available here.
In November, Hong Kong Watch co-founder and Chief Executive Benedict Rogers addressed the United Nations Pre-Session for the Universal Periodic Review on China in Geneva, and called on member states to ensure that Hong Kong is highlighted extensively during the UPR in January 2024. More information is available here.
Anouk Wear, Hong Kong Watch Research and Policy Advisor, said:
“We are grateful that the UN OHCHR has published the UN documents in advance of the Universal Periodic Review and that they have included much information from the NGO submissions, including Hong Kong Watch’s three submissions, in an objective and helpful manner.
“We look forward to the UPR in January 2024 and urge the UN and its Member States to highlight the human rights violations in China and to make recommendations to address these and hold China accountable for its violations of international law.
“In particular, we urge Member States to make recommendations related to the Hong Kong SAR, because the human rights situation in Hong Kong has rapidly and drastically declined since the last review, which was in 2018, and the PRC has seriously violated many of its international legal obligations, including under the Sino-British Joint Declaration.”
中國普遍定期審議在即 聯合國文件重申廢除國安法 香港監察呼籲成員國就香港提出建議
昨天，聯合國人權事務高級專員辦事處（人權高專辦）發布三份文件，為即將於2024年1月23日舉行的中國普遍定期審議（UPR）做準備。
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。
上述三份文件為利益相關者就中國提交的報告書概要、聯合國人權事務高級專員辦事處編製的資訊彙編和根據人權理事會第5/1號和第16/21號決議提交的國家報告。有關文件可在此處下載。
利益相關者就中國提交的報告書概要由人權高專辦彙編非政府組織（包括香港監察）於2023年7月提交的報告而成。報告書概要強調了下列香港監察報告書所提出的論點：
「2020年6月《國家安全法》通過，大大促使對網絡自由的攻擊加劇，尤其是透過採用該法封鎖特定網站、就網上言論拘捕並起訴個別人士，以及針對其他國家的網絡供應商和網站採取跨國行動」（§ 59）
「廢除《國家安全法》；恢復被告運用法律援助選擇自己律師的權利；確保所有國家安全案件設有陪審團審訊；恢復國家安全案件的保釋假定（presumption of bail）；以及停止對人權律師（特別是代表反對派人士或抗爭者和要求司法覆核的人權律師）的一切恐嚇、騷擾和攻擊行為」（§60）
香港監察早前向聯合國對中國的普遍定期審議提交三份聯合報告書。報告書重點關注涉及2019年抗爭、《國家安全法》、公民社會、政治犯、婦女權利和媒體自由的侵犯人權行為。完整報告書請見此處。
今年11月，香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）到訪日內瓦，在聯合國對中國的普遍定期審議會前會議上發言。他呼籲成員國在2024年1月普遍定期審議展開期間，確保香港得到廣泛關注。詳情請見此處。