Civil groups yesterday called for the immediate release of two Hong Kong pro-democracy activists who are awaiting a verdict in a national security case related to their advocacy for commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
The call to release Lee Cheuk-yan (李卓人) and Chow Hang-tung (鄒幸彤) was made at a news event in Taipei's Ximending (西門町) yesterday, four days ahead of the 37th anniversary of the June 4 killings.
Photo: CNA
Lee and Chow were leaders of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (Hong Kong Alliance), which for decades organized an annual candlelight vigil in the territory's Victoria Park that often drew tens of thousands of participants.
The two were charged with "inciting subversion of state power" under the Hong Kong National Security Law in September 2021 over the alliance's long-running efforts to commemorate the Tiananmen crackdown and advocate for democratic reforms in China.
They have been held in detention ever since and face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
During the event, group representatives urged the Chinese and Hong Kong governments to "immediately and unconditionally" release Lee and Chow, drop all charges against them and stop enforcing laws they said violate human rights.
Those laws include the Hong Kong National Security Law, imposed by Beijing in June 2020 following months of mass pro-democracy protests in 2019, they said.
Ivan Choi (蔡智豪), a project manager at the New School for Democracy and a Hong Konger based in Taiwan, said Lee and Chow were being put on trial simply for peacefully commemorating the June 4th Incident, demonstrating how freedom of assembly and speech in Hong Kong had been undermined.
Amnesty International Taiwan deputy secretary-general Chang Chih (張弛) said the cases of Lee and Chow show that Hong Kong's civic space has shrunk, gradually turning the territory into a society where people could no longer speak the truth.
According to a May 19 report by Hong Kong newspaper Sing Tao Daily, closing submissions in Lee and Chow's case were completed that day, with a verdict expected next month.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
RSS