Hong Kong Watch shines a spotlight on repression across Asia in UK Parliament
Yesterday evening in the British Parliament, Hong Kong Watch co-hosted a seminar, ‘Human Rights Repression Across Borders’, with Stop Uyghur Genocide, Free Tibet, and the International Democracy Hub.
The audience heard remarks from the event’s host, Lord Alton of Liverpool, Patron of Hong Kong Watch, who was joined by Benedict Rogers, co-founder and Trustee of Hong Kong Watch, Rahima Mahmut, Executive Director of Stop Uyghur Genocide, John Jones, Head of Campaigns, Policy and Research for Free Tibet, and Seung-hyeon Kim, a representative of the International Democracy Hub from South Korea.
Benedict Rogers opened the panel saying, “We have a particular “common cause” behind [the] repression [we are witnessing or experiencing in every region] – the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In the case of three of the situations we are discussing, the CCP is the direct perpetrator. In the case of the fourth, North Korea, the CCP is the primary facilitator. Kim Jong-Un’s regime is kept alive by Beijing – and increasingly Moscow too – and China’s policy of forced repatriation of North Korean refugees back to a certain terrible fate of torture, imprisonment and possible execution in North Korea not only violates international humanitarian norms but is a direct contribution to North Korea’s repression.”
Mr Rogers then provided an overview of the declining human rights situation in Hong Kong, including the destruction of the most basic rights and freedoms and the increasing use of transnational repression against Hong Kong activists in exile.
This was followed by Seung-hyeon Kim detailing the brutal atrocities in North Korea, such as high levels of arbitrary detention and mandatory youth reeducation programmes. He also shared the plight of the many North Korean defectors who wish to escape at the China-North Korea border.
Rahima Mahmut spoke about the latest human rights violations in the Uyghur region, including millions in internment camps, the separation of kids from their families, and widespread forced labour. Ms Mahmut raised serious concerns about the targeting of Islam and the branding of Uyghurs as “terrorists”. She also highlighted a New York Times article from this week exposing how Uyghurs are being trapped in Thailand, where they are prevented from contacting their relatives.
John Jones discussed the digital surveillance tools that the CCP uses to track Tibetans, as well as the different tactics leveraged to purge devotion to the Dalai Lama. This includes a residential school system which separates children from their families. “The result of all these tactics is self-censorship, and Tibetans not contacting their families abroad,” said Mr Jones.
To conclude the event, Lord Alton and the panellists engaged with the audience and discussed policy recommendations, including imposing targeted sanctions on those responsible for the egregious human rights violations in these regions, carefully considering the status of Hong Kong and Tibet in international fora given the CCP’s dismantling of their autonomy, and working together to ensure that those who cannot speak for themselves are heard around the world.
香港監察英國國會研討會探討亞洲各地人權打壓情況
昨晚，香港監察與「Stop Uyghur Genocide 停止維吾爾種族滅絕」、「Free Tibet 自由西藏運動」和南韓組織「International Democracy Hub」在英國國會合辦研討會，主題為「跨國界的人權打壓：香港、維吾爾地區、西藏和北韓」。
香港監察贊助人奧爾頓勳爵（Lord Alton of Liverpool）擔任活動主持，講者包括香港監察共同創辦人兼信託人羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）、Stop Uyghur Genocide執行董事Rahima Mahmut、Free Tibet倡議、政策及研究主管John Jones，以及International Democracy Hub代表Seung-hyeon Kim。
羅傑斯在討論開始時指出：「［我們在每個地區目睹或經歷到的］鎮壓背後有『同一個始作俑者』──中國共產黨。就我們討論的前三個地區情況而言，中共是直接犯人。就第四個地區北韓情況而言，中共是主要推手。金正恩政權靠北京──亦日漸靠莫斯科──維持下去，而中國強行遣返北韓難民的政策將脫北者送回北韓，面臨酷刑、監禁，甚至可能處決的可怕命運，不但違反國際人道準則，更直接導致北韓鎮壓。」
羅傑斯之後概述香港不斷惡化的人權狀況，包括最基本的權利和自由受到破壞，以及愈來愈多香港流亡社運人士遭遇跨國鎮壓。
Seung-hyeon Kim接着詳述北韓的殘暴行為，例如高度任意拘留和強制青年再教育計劃。他亦分享了許多希望逃離北韓的脫北者在中朝邊界的困境。
Rahima Mahmut談到維吾爾地區最近的侵害人權行為，包括數百萬人被關入拘留營、將兒童與家人分離、強迫勞動遍及各處。她嚴重憂慮針對伊斯蘭教徒和將維吾爾人貼上「恐怖分子」污名的行為。她亦特別提到本週一篇《紐約時報》文章，有關文章揭露了維吾爾人如何被困在泰國，被阻止聯絡親屬。
John Jones討論了中共用來追蹤藏人的數碼監控工具，以及用來肅清向達賴喇嘛示忠的不同手段。這包括分隔兒童與家人的寄宿學校制度。他指：「所有這些手段的結果就是自我審查，以及藏人無法與國外家人聯絡」。
活動尾聲時，奧爾頓勳爵和講者與觀眾交流互動，討論政策建議，包括點名制裁嚴重侵害這些地區人權的人；因應中共剝奪香港和西藏的自治，仔細考慮香港和西藏在國際論壇上的地位；並合力確保能夠在世界各地聽到無法為自己發聲者的聲音。