Hong Kong Watch concludes visit to Washington, DC

Last week, Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Chief Executive Benedict Rogers visited Washington, DC, where he spoke at the International Religious Freedom Summit and testified at a hearing in the United States Congress.

On Monday 29 January, Mr Rogers and our Washington, DC-based Research and Policy Advisor Anouk Wear met with Congressman French Hill to discuss human rights and especially threats to freedom of religion or belief in Hong Kong. We presented to him our new report on threats to Hong Kong’s religious freedom, highlighted the trial of Jimmy Lai, and discussed human rights and business, pension funds and actions to hold China accountable.

On Tuesday 30 January, Benedict Rogers moderated a plenary panel at the International Religious Freedom Summit. He spoke about freedom of religion or belief in Hong Kong and the trial of Jimmy Lai, alongside Nazila Ghanea, United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Michael Abramowitz, President of Freedom House, and Robert Jenkins, Assistant to the Administrator for the Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization (CPS) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The discussion can be viewed here.

Later on that night, Mr Rogers attended a screening of The Hong Konger, a documentary on Jimmy Lai, and spoke at a panel discussion, together with Mark Clifford, President of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation (CFHK), Frances Hui, CFHK Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, and Piero Tozzi, Staff Director of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. The discussion can be viewed here. Hong Kong Watch co-hosted another screening of the same film, and Mr Rogers joined a panel discussion together with Ambassador Joseph Cella and Frances Hui, at Belmont House.

On Thursday 1 February, Benedict Rogers testified at a hearing in Congress, held by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) and chaired by Congressman Chris Smith, on The PRC’s Universal Periodic Review and the Real State of Human Rights in China. He spoke about the dismantling of Hong Kong’s freedoms, Article 23 and threats to religious freedom, and highlighted Hong Kong’s political prisoners, especially Jimmy Lai and Chow Hang-tung. A detailed report on the hearing is available here.

Following the hearing, Mr Rogers met with CECC Chair Congressman Chris Smith, together with Rushan Abbas and Rana Siu Inboden, who both testified at the hearing. We discussed threats to freedom of religion or belief in Hong Kong with Congressman Smith.

香港監察訪美出席國際宗教自由峰會、國會聽證會並發言 會晤CECC主席等政策制訂者

香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）上週到訪華盛頓特區，在國際宗教自由峰會上發言，並在美國國會聽證會上作證。

週一（1月29日），羅傑斯聯同香港監察美國研究及政策顧問華穆清（Anouk Wear）會晤美國眾議員French Hill，討論香港人權狀況，特別是對宗教或信仰自由的威脅。我們向他介紹香港監察關於香港宗教自由所面臨威脅的新報告，提請關注黎智英案，並討論人權與商業、退休基金和追究中國責任的行動。

翌日，羅傑斯主持國際宗教自由峰會全體研討會。他與聯合國宗教或信仰自由特別報告員Nazila Ghanea、自由之家（Freedom House）主席Michael Abramowitz和美國國際發展署（United States Agency for International Development）衝突預防與穩定局（Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization）局長助理Robert Jenkins一起探討香港宗教或信仰自由和黎智英案。請在此處觀看討論。

當晚，羅傑斯出席黎智英紀錄片《香港人》放映會，並在會上發言，同場講者有香港自由委員會基金會（The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation，簡稱CFHK）主席Mark Clifford、CFHK政策及倡議統籌許穎婷（Frances Hui）和美國國會及行政當局中國委員會（Congressional-Executive Commission on China，簡稱CECC）職員主任Piero Tozzi。請在此處觀看討論。香港監察另與貝爾蒙特修道院學院（Belmont Abbey College）和CFHK在貝爾蒙特之家（Belmont House）合辦同一齣電影的放映會，羅傑斯與前美國駐斐濟等太平洋五國大使Joseph Cella和許穎婷在映前講座上發言。

週四（1日），羅傑斯前往國會，在CECC「中國普遍定期審議與中國真實人權狀況」聽證會上作證，聽證會由CECC主席、眾議員Chris Smith主持。他談到香港自由被摧毀、《基本法》第23條、對宗教自由的威脅等議題，並提請關注香港政治犯，特別是黎智英和鄒幸彤。請在此處閱覽聽證會詳細報告。

聽證會結束後，羅傑斯與同為證人的Rushan Abbas和Rana Siu Inboden會見眾議員Chris Smith，討論香港宗教或信仰自由所面臨威脅。