#Manner #CCP
"Good Riddance": China Tells Off Germany's UN Envoy Who Asks Beijing to Release 2 Detained Canadians for Christmas

Germany's UN envoy Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, during his last UN Security Council meeting, asked China to free two detained Canadians for Christmas:

"Let me end my tenure on the Security Council by appealing to my Chinese colleagues to ask Beijing for the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Christmas is the right moment for such a gesture."

Shortly after Canadian police arrested China's Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. warrant in 2018, the Chinese Communist Party government detained Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat and cuurent advisor for the International Crisis Group think tank, and businessman Michael Spavor in China.

China's deputy UN envoy Geng Shuang immediately comdemned Heusgen for "malicious attack" and fired:

"I wish to say something out of the bottom of my heart: Good riddance, Ambassador Heusgen. I am hoping that the council in your absence in the year 2021 will be in a better position to fulfil the responsibilities...for maintaining international peace and security."

Heusgen plans to retire after working as a diplomat for more than 40 years.

Source: CBC; Apple Daily #Dec22

https://bit.ly/3pgL2FR

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/u-n-germany-kovrig-spavor-1.5852655

#Kovrig #Spavor #2Michaels #ChristophHeusgen #Germany #GengShuang #UN #Christmas2020

#Christmas2020
Cardinal Zen Encourages People to Do What They Can

On Christmas Eve of 2020, Cardinal #JosephZen of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong released a video statement through the Justice and Peace Commission of HK Catholic Diocese (#HKJP).

In the video, Zen talked about how many people dared not to express happiness these days. The coronvirus pandemic seemed to get more and more severe, making human feel minute.

Without naming anyone, Zen describes that there were some people in this world who enjoyed seeing others suffer and were unhappy to see others being happy. These people made others live in fear. In chaotic times, we do see evil from many people, but we can also find love from many others.

"Many of our brothers and sisters are facing great adversity, but they are at peace. I was moved every time I visit the prison. Let light shine on us, and then we will have the courage to help, illuminate and comfort others," said Zen.

Zen encouraged people to do what they can, "We now dare not go out, but sometimes it is needed. No one can afford to be selfish."

Source: Stand News #Dec24
https://www.facebook.com/710476795704610/posts/3755760251176234/

#JosephZen #CatholicDiocese

#Save12 #BringThemBack
China Informs 12 Hong Kong Youths' Families of Their Trial Only 3 Days Prior on Christmas Day

On the Christmas Day of 2020, the families of the 12 pro-democracy Hongkongers detained in China not only could not see their loved ones; seven families also received a last-minute notice from the lawyers appointed by the Chinese Government that the trial of ten of the 12 Hongkongers would take place on Dec 28, 2020, which was in less than 3 days including the public holidays.

Among the 12 Hongkongers detained by the Chinese authorities since August 2020, ten of them will face trial on Dec 28, 2020 at the Yantian Court in China, but only seven families received such a notice.

The Chinese court told the media that it belonged to a "secret case" and no public and media would be allowed to audit. The trial is also not listed in the timetable of the Yantian People's Court.

The #Save12HKYouths Concern Group released a statement on Dec 25, 2020, demanding the delivery of confirmed, open and clear information of the trials of the 12 Hongkongers. They also demanded the presence of their families, the lawyers hired by their families, Hong Kong and international media and diplomats from different countries to be allowed in court.

The families also demanded the Chinese authorities to allow them to pay the prison a visit, were the detained Hongkongers to be sentenced; and the HKSAR government to send representatives to make sure the civil rights of the Hongkongers could be protected.

Source: Save 12 HK Youths Concern Group #Dec25

#HumanitarianCrisis #ChineseCourt #RulebyLaw #Christmas2020

#Christmas2020
Hongkonger: "Freedom is like air. You'd only know it’s priceless when you lose it and begin choking"

Kevin Cheng is a Hong Kong-based photographer. This is his contemplation for the Christmas in Hong Kongin 2020:

"On the Christmas Day last year, riot police intruded into shopping malls, firing tear gas and arresting people indiscriminately.

On the Christmas Day this year, police patrolled in the streets to bar people from having Christmas dinner, singing Christmas carols in the street and viewing the Christmas lights. There were no more overnight public transportation services.

Freedom is like air. You'd only know it’s priceless when you lose it and begin choking."

The accompanying photo is taken by Ching of Soc Rec, capturing a scene on Christmas Eve 2020 when the Hong Kong police dispersed a citizen who was strolling with her dog in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Text: #KevinChengPhotography
Photo: SocRec #Dec24

https://www.facebook.com/194035600634409/posts/3499752086729394/

#Christmas2020
Hongkonger: First Christmas Without Cinema

Source: Jacky Hei #Dec25

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#Christmas2020
Hongkonger: First Christmas Without Cinema

In December 2019, COVID-19 was spread from Wuhan to other parts of China. In Spring 2020, the coronavirus pandemic was hitting the whole world.

At Christmas 2020, COVID-19 is still menacing the world, causing the separation of families, the suspension of festive activities and the closure of businesses including restaurants and theatres.

The following is a Hong Kong cinephille's contemplation for Christmas 2020:

"When friendship and relationship are vulnerable, you thought at least the Cinema would be there for you. This year, even the Cinema was unwell.

Next year today, you might be in the UK, Australia, Canada and Taiwan. Let's hope there will still be cinemas. Even when we are apart, we can still dream the same dream together inside the cinema, somewhere.

I hope we have not yet become "Alice in the Borderland"; we have a "Sweet Home"; and, most importantly, we shall remember to stay "#Alive".

Although bad news find their way to us everyday, I wish everyone still a merry Christmas."

Source: Jacky Hei #Dec25

https://www.facebook.com/160125994157497/posts/1782430935260320/

#Cinema #Covid19 #HongkongersVoice #CoronavirusPandemic

#FakeNews #CCPLies #CCPControl
No ‘Negative’ News: How China Censored the Coronavirus

In 2020, the whole world has been extensively affected by COVID-19, which was originally called "Wuhan Pneumonia" at the early stage of the outbreak because of its alleged origin. The pandemic has led to the lockdown of many countries, the suspension of economic activities and the separation of families.

In an investigative report published by The New York Times on Dec 19, 2020, it was revealed that the Chinese Communist Party government stage-managed what appeared online in the early days of the outbreak and downplayed the severity of the coronavirus.

The New York Times wrote,

“At a time when digital media is deepening social divides in Western democracies, China is manipulating online discourse to enforce the Communist Party’s consensus.

To stage-manage what appeared on the Chinese internet early this year, the authorities issued strict commands on the content and tone of news coverage, directed paid trolls to inundate social media with party-line blather and deployed security forces to muzzle unsanctioned voices."

For example, regarding the death of the whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang, who had been threatened and prosecuted by the Chinese authorities, on Feb 7, 2020, China "ordered news websites not to issue push notifications alerting readers to his death. They [Chinese authorities] told social platforms to gradually remove his name from trending topics pages. And they activated legions of fake online commenters to flood social sites with distracting chatter, stressing the need for discretion".

The New York Times also found that "Chinese officials tried to steer the narrative not only to prevent panic and debunk damaging falsehoods domestically. They also wanted to make the virus look less severe — and the authorities more capable — as the rest of the world was watching."

According to Xiao Qiang, a research scientist at the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley, and the founder of China Digital Times,

“China has a politically weaponized system of censorship; it is refined, organized, coordinated and supported by the state’s resources. It’s not just for deleting something. They also have a powerful apparatus to construct a narrative and aim it at any target with huge scale.”

“This is a huge thing,” he added. “No other country has that.”

Source: New York Times #Dec19

Read the original article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/technology/china-coronavirus-censorship.html

#CyberSpace #Xi #WaterArmy #WuhanPneumomia #Manipulation #COVID19 #Christmas2020