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We provide translation of news in English from local media and other sources, for academic use.
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#AcademicFreedom #University
Cultural Revolution 2.0: China-run Newspapers Slam HKUST Professor for Breaching National Security Law

The Education Sector and academia in Hong Kong have been targeted by the pro-Beijing forces and Chinese Communist Party (#CCP) mouthpiece.

The CCP-loyal Wen Wei Po and Tai Kung Pao have published a series of reports which slammed Dr. Lee Ching-kwan, a professor of sociology at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (#HKUST), for her speech delivered in an online forum held by Hong Kong Democracy Council (#HKDC) in May 2020.

The CCP-owned newspaper accused Lee of "advocating Hong Kong Independence" and "violating the national security law".

Organizedby HKDC on May 26, the discussion topic of the forum was: "Is this the end of the 'One Country Two Systems'?".

The speakers included the former leaders of now-disbanded Demosistō Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Joshua Wong Chi-fung, as well as Benny Tai Yiu-ting, who is a former law professor of the University of Hong Kong (#HKU).

The video of the online forum was deleted on the Facebook page of the HKDC. According to the video spread by the Beijing-loyal presses, Lee said in English, "I think it helps not to think Hong Kong as a Chinese city. We don't belong to China...I don't think. We belong to the world."

Lee Ching-kwan was the Dr. Chung Sze-yuen Professor of Social Science at HKUST and the sociology professor of University of California, Los Angeles.

Source: Stand News #Nov20

#Censorship #Academia #UCLA #Professor #LeeChingKwan #CulturalRevolution
#PoliticalProsecution
HK Government Sentences Pro-democracy Youths to Prison,
British Foreign Secretary urges Hong Kong and Beijing to stop oppression


Former leaders of now-disbanded Demosistō Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam were sentenced to 13.5 months, 7 months and 10 months in prison on charges related to the unauthorized protest in 2019 outside Police Headquarters.

Read more
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/27057

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab issued an statement in response, urging Hong Kong and Beijing governments to stop oppressing the opposition.

In his response to the jailing of the trio, Raab urged Hong Kong and Beijing authorities "to bring an end to their campaign to stifle opposition", and stressed that "prosecution decisions must be fair and impartial, and the rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong must be upheld."

When asked about the sentencing of Hong Kong activists, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chun-ying only stated that this is not a diplomatic issue.

Samuel Chu, the founding and managing director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council (#HKDC), an overseas Hong Kong organization which participated in implementing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, said in a statement that Beijing and Chief Executive Carrie Lam have sent a message through this case: If young people do not obey their ruling, they will be jailed.

HKDC has asked the United States and the international community to jointly condemn this sentencing , which raises questions about the fairness and independence of Hong Kong judicial system.

Source: Stand News #Dec2
#DominicRaab #JoshuaWong #AgnesChow #IvanLam #Jail
#CCP
Crackdown on Stand News is China's First Step in Controlling the World's Narrative, says Former #NextDigital Director

The day after Stand News was forced to shut down by Hong Kong Police, Hong Kong Democracy Council (#HKDC) held a rapid response virtual briefing on December 30, 2021, in which the speakers urged the international community to closely monitor the developing situation.

Not only is freedom of press under attack in Hong Kong, they said, the incident also signifies important future challenges, such as the possibility of China manipulating the world in the future.

The invited speakers were #ThomasKellogg, executive director of the Center for Asian Law at Georgetown University; and #MarkClifford, former independent non-executive director of Next Digital.

As a former director of Next Media, Clifford saw firsthand the government's oppression against Apple Daily, which began even before the National Security Law (#NSL) took effect on June 30, 2020. The crackdown against Stand News had been rumored to be coming for some time; even so, when it finally became reality, Clifford felt it deeply.

"What's happening at Stand News is tragic," Clifford said, "Perhaps not a complete surprise, because we have seen what happened at Apple Daily. It's extraordinary when you're on the other end of state power - unchecked state power. In a city like Hong Kong, it's hard to believe."

The arrests and forced closure of Stand News happened soon after the conclusion of the legislative elections. Hong Kong Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang had twice written to the Wall Street Journal to criticize their reporting of the Hong Kong Elections, even calling its editorials "sickening".

Clifford said that this had not been a coincidence; rather, it reflects the Chinese Communist Party's ambitions to control the world's narrative.

Source: VOA Chinese #Dec30
https://www.voachinese.com/a/experts-analysis-on-hong-kong-standard-news-forced-closure-20211230/6376727.html

Video of the HKDC Rapid Response Virtual Briefing:
https://www.facebook.com/hkdc.us/videos/958932114740331/

#StandNewsCrackdown #NationalSecurityLaw #FreedomOfPress #Media #PoliticalProsecution
#PoliceState
Exponential growth in political prisoners found in Hong Kong

In its debut research report, “Hong Kong Reaches a Grim Milestone,” The Hong Kong Democracy Council (#HKDC) examines a new, troubling phenomenon in HK: the exponential growth in the number of political prisoners since the start of 2019 mass protests.

In under 3 years, the city has gone from having only a handful of political prisoners to recently crossing the 1,000 mark, rivaling Belarus, Burma and Cuba, other authoritarian societies.

The aggregated length of sentences exceeds 772 years, while more than half of the political prisoners are under 25 year-old.

Meanwhile, the average time on remand is 16.6 months.

The report is supplemented by HK Political Prisoners Database, maintained by HKDC to facilitate human rights monitoring and advocacy.

Link to full report: 
https://hkdc.us/political-prisoners-research-report/

Link to the HK Political Prisoners Database: 
https://hkdc.us/political-prisoners-latest-update/
US Terminates HKETO to Get Rid of China's Propaganda in the US

With the implementation of #NationalSecueityLaw (#NSL) in 2020, the US has announced that they no longer recognise Hong Kong's autonomy; One-Country-Two-Systems is also dead.

On 15 Dec, Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Chris Smith requested the US to re-assess the privilege and status of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (#HKETO) under the HKETO Certification Acts. They believe HKETO has become Hong Kong's propaganda and urge the US to completely remove them from the country.

Chris Smith described that China's dictator, #XiJinping, suppressed civil and political rights in Hong Kong with NSL, destroying the #BasicLaw and #SinoBritishJointDeclaration. He pointed out that the #USCongress had once published Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in 2020 to decline Hong Kong's autonomy. Therefore, US Law should reflect the fact. At the moment, HKETO is only China's propaganda with no reason for its existence inside the US border.

The HKETO Certificate Act requests the US President to prove whether their Offices can continue having the current privilege within 30 days after it has been passed. If the President opposes their existence, the government must revoke the offices' benefits, and they must cease operation in 6 months. Even if the President agrees on the privilege, Congress can still disapprove.

Executive Director of Hong Kong Democracy Council (#HKDC), Anna Kwok, mentioned the 3 locations of the HKETO offices in the US in Washington, New York and San Francisco on her Facebook Page. HKDC and other HongKonger organisations in the US found out the HKETO promoting "Hong Kong is back" earlier. They present a false picture of peace and prosperity, claiming Hong Kong as a free and democratic place.

#China #US #OneCountryTwoSystems #MarcoRubio #ChrisSmith #AnnaKwok

Source: Commons #Dec16

http://cmmns.co/ejN8w
National Security Department Offers Bounty for 8 Exiled Activists

Three years into the implementation of the National Security Law (#NSL), the National Security Department (#NSDepartment) announced that they are offering bounty for the arrest of eight exiled Hongkongers.

In a press conference on July 3, Chief Superintendent Li Kwai-wah said he has applied to the courts for an arrest warrant, with an award of up to 1 million dollars for information on the eight wanted Hongkongers. The eight are: lawyer #KevinYam News commentator #ElmerYuen, Director of Hong Kong Democratic Council (#HKDC) #AnnaKwok, #FinnLau, #MungSiuTat, Former LegCo member #DennisKwok, #TedHui, and #NathanLaw.

The police displayed black-and-white photos of the eight in the conference, announcing their offenses one by one, and criticising their threats to the national security.

Li also mentioned that some "Anti-China rioters" are exiled but continue endangering national security. He quoted the 37th and 38th Ordinance under NSL, emphasising the regulation has an extraterritorial effect, regardless of whether the person is a Hong Kong permanent resident.

#Exiled #HKers #LiKwaiWah #NationalSecurityLaw #ExtraterritorialEffect

Source: Inmedia #July03

https://bit.ly/4388usC