The Vatican should more forcefully oppose the arrest of Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun, a retired Hong Kong archbishop who has courageously opposed human rights violations, and Western governments should sanction responsible Hong Kong officials, said Peter Zoehrer, Director of FOREF a Vienna-based, independent human rights organisation. “Cardinal Zen courageously risked his own freedom and security…
Hong Kong’s Election Committee has selected John Lee Ka-chiu, the sole candidate to the post of Chief Executive on 8 May 2022. This was the first selection process since the imposition of the National Security Law and the implementation of sweeping changes in Hong Kong’s electoral system. Preceding his selection, Lee was vetted by the…
On Thursday, Parliament adopted a resolution on violations of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong. Parliament condemned in the strongest terms the deterioration of human rights in Hong Kong, including severe restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of association and press freedom. MEPs called on the Hong Kong government to release all political prisoners and drop…
Sham election shows communist state has no respect for Western values, writes Jianli Yang. Anxious to establish a new world order with China at its centre, Beijing is now coining new definitions for time-tested values and attributes to suit its selfish goal. In Tibet, for instance, it has come up with a call to develop…
Tibetan and Hongkong students protesting in Athens against the handover of the Olympic Torch to the Beijing 2022 Committee have been arrested. They waved the Tibetan flag and Hongkong’s revolution flag at the iconic historical landmark of the Acropolis, chanting “Boycott Beijing 2022” and “Free Tibet” as Greek authorities promptly confiscated their flag. Displaying the…
Five new strains of virus have been detected in Hong Kong and the authorities have identified 4 places of origins Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan and Dubai respectively, writes Jianli Yang. The fifth place of origin is unknown. From a total population of 7.5 million, the new strains have put the tally of infections to a total…
And the worst part is, it’s not even done yet. On March 11, an annual confab of functionaries rubber-stamped a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) plan to gut most of what is left of Hong Kong’s democratic processes, write Aaron Rhodes and Jianli Yang. At the “Two Sessions” meeting, or Lianghui, over 5,000 members of the CCP elite —…
The National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China adopted last week a Decision that will have a significant impact on democratic accountability and political pluralism in Hong Kong. The Decision will lead to a concentration of power and influence in the Hong Kong Election Committee, which is not a democratically elected body. The…
Former Tory party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has called for “much tougher action” to combat human rights abuses in China, writes Philippe Lejeune. His plea comes after the EU, earlier this year, passed new laws which allows it to impose sanctions on those guilty of serious human rights abuses, including against China. The so…
The European Conservatives and Reformists Party has sent an open letter to the Olympic Committee and has called on the international community to boycott the Winter Olympic Games scheduled to be held in Beijing in February 2022. The games are taking place against the backdrops of a growing list of human rights violations in China, from…
