Hong Kong Watch celebrates International Women’s Day

Today, Hong Kong Watch celebrates International Women’s Day by standing in solidarity with the women political prisoners of Hong Kong, and continuing to call for accountability for women’s rights violations in Hong Kong and gender-based transnational repression overseas.

Many female activists face gendered forms of transnational repression, such as misogynist insults, harassment, stalking, the distribution of fake or doctored images intended to be demeaning or degrading, and threats of bodily harm, including rape. This includes members of Jimmy Lai’s international legal team, Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC and Tatyana Eatwell of Doughty Street Chambers, who told The Guardian last month that they have been targeted in this manner. This represents an unacceptable use of gendered and misogynist abuse to intimidate human rights defenders.

In addition, the Hong Kong government has placed bounties on the heads of numerous female pro-democracy activists, including former Hong Kong Watch Policy Advisor Joey Siu, Carmen Lau, Chloe Cheung, Frances Hui, and Anna Kwok. This significantly endangers the physical safety of these women. Hong Kong Watch urges the Hong Kong government to rescind these bounties immediately, and for international governments to place pressure on the Hong Kong government until they do so.

Finally, Hong Kong ranks as having the highest rate of female prisoners in the world, with women representing 21% of the total prison population. Some of these are political prisoners, including Hong Kong activist and barrister Chow Hang-tung. Today, Hong Kong Watch is launching its redesigned database of political prisoner profiles as we continue to call for the immediate release of Chow Hang-tung and all political prisoners in Hong Kong.

We also urge the Hong Kong government to comply with its women’s rights obligations under international law, and to hold perpetrators of women’s rights violations accountable. We support the #IWD2025 for the women of Hong Kong in the city and around the world.

Megan Khoo, Policy Director at Hong Kong Watch, said:

“Hong Kong Watch is a majority female organisation, and we are privileged to work with many inspiring women activists who are part of the Hong Kong diaspora worldwide.

On International Women’s Day, we stand with women around the world, and specifically the women of Hong Kong, in demanding equal rights, the enjoyment of all rights and freedoms under international law, and an end to the use of transnational repression as a tool against women activists.”

【國際婦女節】香港監察聲援女性政治犯 呼籲就侵害婦女權利及性別跨國鎮壓行為問責

香港監察今天慶祝國際婦女節，聲援香港女性政治犯，並繼續呼籲就香港侵害婦女權利行為及海外基於性別的跨國鎮壓行為問責。

不少女性社運人士面對性別跨國鎮壓，例如厭女侮辱、騷擾、跟蹤、傳播意圖羞辱或貶低女性的虛假或經篡改圖片，以及強姦等身體傷害威脅。當中包括黎智英國際律師團隊成員Caoilfhionn Gallagher和Tatyana Eatwell，《衛報》上月報導，她們受到這種方式的攻擊。這種利用性別及厭女侵犯來恐嚇人權捍衛者的行為不能接受。

另外，香港政府懸紅通緝多位女性社運人士，包括前香港監察政策顧問Joey Siu 邵嵐、Carmen Lau 劉珈汶、Chloe Cheung 張晞晴、Frances Hui 許穎婷和Anna Kwok 郭鳳儀。這嚴重危及這些女性的人身安全。香港監察促請香港政府立即撤銷相關通緝令，並呼籲各國政府向香港政府施壓，直至港府採取行動為止。

最後，香港女性囚犯佔總監獄人口21%，是全球女性囚犯比例最高的地方。當中部分人為政治犯，包括香港社運人士、大律師鄒幸彤。今天，香港監察繼續呼籲立即釋放鄒幸彤及所有香港政治犯，同時推出經重新設計的政治犯檔案資料庫。

香港監察亦促請香港政府履行國際法下的婦女權利義務，並向侵害婦女權利的肇事者追究責任。我們支持#IWD2025，與身處香港以至世界各地的香港婦女站在同一陣線。

香港監察政策總監Megan Khoo表示：

「香港監察是成員大部分為女性的組織，亦很榮幸能與世界各地海外港人社群中不少鼓舞人心的女性社運人士合作。

時值國際婦女節，我們站在全球婦女一方，特別是香港婦女，要求平等權利、享有國際法下的所有權利和自由，以及終止利用跨國鎮壓作為對付女性社運人士的工具。」