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We provide translation of news in English from local media and other sources, for academic use.
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#Save12HKYouths
Brother of HK activist detained in China reopens online #Lego shop to raise funds for sentencing fee

Source: In Media HK #May15

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29790
#Save12HKYouths
Brother of HK activist detained in China reopens online #Lego shop to raise funds for sentencing fee

Over half a year has passed since 12 fleeing pro-democracy Hongkongers were arrested by the Chinese police at sea and detained in China.

10 of the 12 activists that were charged with "illegal border crossing" have already been escorted back to Hong Kong. The remaining two, #Tang KaiYin and #QuinnMoon, were charged by China for "organizing illegal border crossing". They are currently still serving their three-year and two-year sentences in China respectively.

In April 2021, Tang’s younger brother announced on social media that he will reopen his brother's online model shop; he will be selling Tang's stock of discontinued Lego sets.

The profits, after covering rent for the storage space, will mainly be used to pay the fees of Tang’s incarceration in China, as well as his $20K RMB fine.

The remainder will be used to support Tang when he returns to Hong Kong after serving his sentence.

Since the arrest of the 12 Hongkongers, the younger Tang had been busy dealing with the authorities on his brother's behalf, as well as handling the media and taking care of his family. There had been times when he became exhausted and even fell ill, and he admits that he blamed his brother sometimes. "But then I would think, he didn't steal or hurt anyone. There's a reason he did what he did, so ..." he pauses, "I became more accepting and more forgiving."

He says that he had never been a Lego enthusiast. He joked that, although he now spends all his spare time on the online shop, he still couldn't get interested in Lego. He wanted to tell his brother: "Hurry up and come back and deal with your stuff, I don't want to touch it. Take care of yourself; we're family, I'll wait for you."

Source: In Media HK #May15
https://bit.ly/3huzuhB

#Save12 #Brothers #Fraternity #Solidarity #Family #PoliticalProsecution #PoliticalPrisoner #ChinesePrison
May 3 is the World Press Freedom Day, but RTHK removed their previous programs from Youtube and required the critically acclaimed journalist Nabela Qoser to leave the public broadcaster by the end of May, 2021.


#RTHK #PressFreedom #May3 #Youtube #NabelaQoser #GoHKgraphics
China is using vaccines to push its agenda in Latin America, and the U.S. is behind the curve, experts say

China in recent months sent more than 165 million Chinese-made vaccine doses to Latin America and the Caribbean, accompanied by a concerted public relations campaign highlighting Beijing's role.

The United States until recently was focused on getting the coronavirus outbreak under control, and has shipped out few vaccines. President Joe Biden has promised to give away 80 million doses but his administration has yet to announce where it will send vaccines abroad.

Members of Congress and regional experts say the administration needs to catch up with China and start getting vaccines to Latin America, and to make sure the world knows that the vaccines are coming from the U.S.

Source: NBC #May23

https://t.co/GDS9IKgLNp

#China #America #Beijing #JoeBiden #COVID19
This Company Monitors Prisoners In Xinjiang. It Won An “Innovation” Award At An Event Sponsored By Amazon.

The Chinese government’s use of prisons and detention camps in Xinjiang is part of what the US and other countries have called a genocide.

With an Amazon logo behind him and luminaries from Shanghai’s booming venture capital scene in front of him, the executive onstage delivered his pitch. His company, Renwei Electronics, helps authorities in China track prisoners and detainees — alerting guards to their movements and even fitting them with heart rate monitors.

Renwei deploys its “smart prison” system in China’s Xinjiang region, where more than 1 million Muslim minorities have been locked up.

Source: Buzzfeednews #Apr29

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/meghara/amazon-xinjiang-prison-surveillance-award

#Xinjiang #Amazon #China #Shanghai
#PoliticalSuppression #Regime
Authorities Ban Tiananmen Massacre Vigil for the Second Year in Hong Kong

Source: Stand News #May27

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29795
#PoliticalSuppression #Regime
Authorities Ban Tiananmen Massacre Vigil for the Second Year in Hong Kong

Since 1990, Hongkongers have been organizing a candlelight vigil annually on June 4th to commemorate the victims of the Tiananmen Sqaure massacre and condemn the Chinese Communist Party for the brutal crackdown of pro-democracy citizens in 1989.

For the second year in a row, the Hong Kong police banned the June 4 vigil at Victoria Park, citing the pandemic as a reason. The authorities also banned the "lest we forget" protest planned on May 30, 2021.

The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, the vigil convenor, pointed out that commemorating June 4 is part of Hongkongers' collective memory in the past 31 years. The Alliance said that they would file an appeal.

Meanwhile, the Secretary for Security John Ka-chiu Lee insisted that any person who join, promote and announce the two events can be sentenced to jail for up to 5 years.

Source: Stand News #May27
https://bit.ly/3bZIzeW

#June4 #TiananmenSquare #Massacre #FailedState #LetterofObjection #VictoriaPark #CandlelightVigil #CollectiveMemory
#Court
#HongkongersVoice #Letter
Former #StudentsUnion President #OwenAu: "We can still strive for the future we want by our actions from moment to moment"

Part 1 / 3

Source: InMedia #May18

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29797
#Court
#HongkongersVoice #Letter
Former #StudentsUnion President #OwenAu: "We can still strive for the future we want by our actions from moment to moment"

Part 1 / 3

[Editor's note:

The following is a letter written by Owen Au Cheuk-hei, the former president of the Students' Union of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK). The letter was submitted to the Kowloon City Magistrates' Court in Hong Kong on May18, 2021, where the 22-year-old Au was trialed for "participating in an unauthorized assembly", "possessing weapons" and "obstructing justice" among other charges in a pro-democracy protest on October 20, 2019.

On the same day in court, Au has been convicted and the court will deliver his sentence on June 2, 2021.]

"That year, the feeling of hopelessness led to a wave of student suicides. One youth after another became overwhelmed by the feeling of darkness as they could not see their future, and ended their brief lives.

One of my best friends was among them; he departed suddenly, without leaving a word behind. After that, I spent countless days and nights curled up on my bed, watching countless sunrises and sunsets outside my window, berating myself for being unable to prevent the tragedy from happening.

It was then that I began to doubt the phrase 'determining my own destiny'. No matter how my self-determined spirit struggles, it could not slow down the fall and corruption of this land by even a little bit.

So I began to think that, in this cruel society, self-determination was probably only an absurd joke.

I was caught up in all these depressing emotions when I came to find Buddhism. I reached a relevation one day, and understood that all things came from dependent arising, and are emptiness by nature; whether times are good or bad, nothing is permanent, and nothing lasts forever.

From this, I learned to put aside my own preconceptions, and let go of my own honor and disgrace. I no longer worry whether every effort I paid would be rewarded. I only concern myself with whether what I think and do are improving myself, those around me, and the world I live in. The past cannot be changed; the present is bound by the past; but the future is determined by our choices today.

Even though much of the world is beyond our control, even beyond our knowledge, we can still strive for the future we want by our actions from moment to moment. Perhaps this is what 'determining my own destiny' really meant. This is how, through faith, I found the strength to carry on living, and the courage to meet my own future destiny."

Continue Reading Part 2:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29805

Source: InMedia #May18
https://bit.ly/3tQqQg0

#PoliticalProsecution #PoliticalPrisoner #PoliticalSuppression #PoliceState #HongKongProtests #AntiELAB
China Reportedly Urges UN Members to Boycott Xinjiang-Related Issues and Denounces Botched Anti-China Performance

Source: Stand News #May08

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China Reportedly Urges UN Members to Boycott Xinjiang-Related Issues and Denounces Botched Anti-China Performance

According to Reuters, the UN representatives, such as Germany, the US and the UK originally planned to have a video meeting for Xinjiang human rights issues. It is reported that the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations criticized the relevant activities for political motives and “anti-China” and sent letters requesting other member states to boycott activities.

Reuters gain a note by the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations, criticizing the European member states such as Germany, United States, England, Australia, and Canada, to hold the activities of using “human rights issues” as a political tool to intervene China Xinjiang’s affairs, and to create division and turmoil in China’s development. China criticized that the related countries got addicted to advocate confrontation with China, stated those activities involved political motivation, and urged other member states not to participate in “anti-China activities”.

The report stated, ambassadors of the US, Germany, and the UK at the United Nations originally planned to speak out in the activity and invited the CEO of Human Rights Watch, Ken Roth, and the Secretary-General of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, for participation. It mainly discussed how the United Nations and civil society support and speak out for human rights issues of Xinjiang Turks and other ethnic minorities.

Source: Stand News #May08

https://bit.ly/3hP3rJh

#China #Beijing #Xinjiang #Uyghurs #Turks #Minorities #HumanRights #SexualAbused #AntiChina #UnitedNations #UN #UnitedStates #US #Germany #England #UK #Australia #Canada #HumanRightsWatch #AmnestyInternational
Taiwan says China blocked deal with BioNTech for COVID-19 shots
 
Taiwan directly accused China for the first time on Wednesday of blocking a deal with Germany's BioNTech SE (22UAy.DE) for COVID-19 vaccines, in an escalating war of words after Beijing offered the shots to the island via a Chinese company.

Taiwan has millions of shots on order, from AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L) and Moderna Inc (MRNA.O), but has received only slightly more than 700,000 to date, and has only been able to vaccinate about 1% of its population as COVID-19 cases surge.

While Taiwan has previously said it had been unable to sign a final contract with BioNTech, it had only implied that Chinese pressure was to blame
 
Source: Reuters #May26

https://t.co/FaxIblSll1

#Taiwan #China #BioNTech #Covid19
China Censors ‘Nomadland’ Director Chloé Zhao’s Oscar Win

“Nomadland” director Chloé Zhao made history on Sunday by becoming the first woman of color and first Chinese woman to win the Oscar for best director. Official media, major search engines and internet censors in her home country are making as if it didn’t happen.

Ms. Zhao’s win, just the second time a woman has walked away with best director, unleashed a flurry of congratulatory messages on Chinese social-media sites when it was announced Monday morning Beijing time. By midafternoon, nearly all of the posts had been erased.

Source: WSJ #Apr24

https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-censors-nomadland-director-chloe-zhaos-oscar-win-11619440550

#China #Nomadland #Director #Chloé #Oscar
#PoliticalProsecution #Injustice
Hong Kong #Court Sends More Pro-demoracy Activists to Jail: At Least 20 Months for Jimmy Lai and 22 Months for '#LongHair'


Source: Stand News #May26

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#PoliticalProsecution #Injustice
Hong Kong #Court Sends More Pro-demoracy Activists to Jail: At Least 20 Months for Jimmy Lai and 22 Months for '#LongHair'

Ten Hong Kong pro-democracy politicians and activists were sentenced to jail for 14 to 18 months on May 28, 2021, after the court convicted them of organizing and joining an "unauthorised protest" on October 1, 2019, which was the national day of the People's Republic of China. Back then, the participating pro-democracy ptotesters described the day as the "#NationalMourningDay".

District Court judge Amanda Woodcock claimed that the defendants' wish for a peaceful protest is "naive" and "unrealistic".

Former legislators #AlbertHo, #LeeCheukYan and 'Long Hair' #LeungKwokHung and Civil Human Rights Front (#CHRF) convenor #FigoChan received a 18-month jail term.

AppleDaily founder #JimmyLai, former legislators #CydHo and #YeungSum, and former League of Social Democrats (#LSD) chairman #AveryNg were sentenced to 14 months in jail.

Only former legislator #SinChungKai and activist #RichardTsoi received suspended jail terms.

With their existing prison terms from other cases, Jimmy Lai and Lee Cheuk-yan are currently serving 20 months in prison in total while that of Leung Kwok-hung has accumulated to 22 months at the moment.

In the courtroom, some pro-democracy supporters chanted "fight on". From the defendants' seats, Leung Kwok-hung called out "Remember June 4th [Tiananmen Massacre]", while Figo Chan shout "mourn on June 4, speak out on July 1".

Source: Stand News #May26
https://bit.ly/3yL3FqT

#PoliticalPrisoner #Sentence #PoliceState #June4 #TiananmenMassacre #NationalDay
#Court #HongkongersVoice #Letter
Former #StudentsUnion President #OwenAu: "I see hope...many people are still striving for Hong Kong"

Part 1:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29797

Source: InMedia #May18
https://bit.ly/3tQqQg0

Read Part 2
⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29805
#Court #HongkongersVoice #Letter
Former #StudentsUnion President #OwenAu: "I see hope...many people are still striving for Hong Kong"

Part 2 / 3

[Editor's note:

The following is a letter written by Owen Au Cheuk-hei, the former president of the Students' Union of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK). The letter was submitted to the Kowloon City Magistrates' Court in Hong Kong on May18, 2021, where the 22-year-old Au was trialed for "participating in an unauthorized assembly", "possessing weapons" and "obstructing justice" among other charges in a pro-democracy protest on October 20, 2019.

On the same day in court, Au has been convicted and the court will deliver his sentence on June 2, 2021.]

Previously, Part 1:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29797

Continue with Part 2:

"...As stated in my case, I was arrested during a protest on Oct 20, 2019, which was 576 days ago.

During this period of time, nearly ten thousand citizens had come under arrest due to the movement or other political reasons. More and more people are forced to leave Hong Kong, with no chance in sight for their return.

This development is surely the opposite of the outcome that many had hoped for: 'determining our own destiny', or democratic self-governance.

After my arrest, a police officer asked me mockingly: What did I feel I've achieved by taking to the streets?

Thinking back now, over these 576 days, it certainly seemed like I've achieved nothing, except losing more and more fellow students and friends. Undoubtedly, this caused me more pain than the court case now being brought against me.

However, different from the overwhelming feeling of powerlessness in the years past, today I do not feel hopeless at all, and have not given up on my belief in 'determining our own destiny'.

These 576 days had been long and full of changes. There had been trauma and pain, but at the same time, I see hope. Because I know that, outside of the courts and prisons, out of sight of others, many people are still striving quietly for Hong Kong, taking up the fight in place those who have fallen.

Local business owners absorb losses to make their Hong Kong brands shine; artists and creative minds are working day and night to reclaim the city's coveted reputation of 'number one in Asia'.

These Hongkongers are full of life and dreams, and I can feel the immeasurable bravery and wisdom in them. Before such great people, I feel humble, and have no more excuses to wallow in self-pity.

They make me firmly believe that this city is not fated to spiral downward forever; this city will create infinite possibilities for the future."

Read Part 3 here:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29816

Source: InMedia #May18
https://bit.ly/3tQqQg0

#PoliticalProsecution #PoliticalPrisoner #PoliticalSuppression #PoliceState #HongKongProtests #AntiELAB
📡Guardians of Hong Kong pinned «#Court #HongkongersVoice #Letter Former #StudentsUnion President #OwenAu: "We can still strive for the future we want by our actions from moment to moment" Part 1 / 3 [Editor's note: The following is a letter written by Owen Au Cheuk-hei, the former president…»
The European Parliament freezes China investment pact by majority

Source: Stand News #May20

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The European Parliament freezes China investment pact by majority

The EU–China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) has been under negotiation since 2014. It is generally considered to be of great significance to China’s diplomacy and trade. The European Parliament voted to freeze the ratification at around 2 p.m. local time today (20May), it was passed with 599 votes in favour, 30 votes against, and 58 abstentions. According to the latest decision, European Parliament will halt the ratification and no further negotiations on the agreement will take place until China lifts sanctions on EU officials, academics, and diplomats in March.

According to reports in foreign media, chair of the European Parliament's China Delegation Reinhard Bütikofer
said that China wants to reach the agreement, but has miscalculated, and underestimated European Parliament's will in defending European interests and values.

Source: Stand News #May20

https://bit.ly/3vsqGNx

#Europe #EU #China #Parliament #Investment #Agreement
China Planning 'Unprecedented' Tiananmen Memorial Crackdown: Report

Beijing will take "unprecedented heavy-handed measures" to crack down on next month's vigil in Hong Kong to mark the Tiananmen Square massacre, a Beijing-friendly local outlet said Tuesday.

The annual gathering in Victoria Park—banned on health grounds for a second year running—is a "minefield" for those planning to attend on June 4, according to online news portal HK01. It will be the first memorial since China's sweeping Hong Kong national security law came into effect on June 30 last year.

Source: Newsweek #May15

https://www.newsweek.com/china-planning-unprecedented-tiananmen-crackdown-hong-kong-report-1592366

#China #Unprecedented #Tiananmen #Crackdown #Beijing