2 weeks Ago By Hong Kong Free Press
Amnesty International’s Hong Kong office has reopened overseas after it pulled out of the city in 2021, citing the onset of the Beijing-imposed national security law.An Amnesty International flag. File photo: Amnesty International Thailand.
Ex-lawmaker Fernando Cheung and former student activist Joey Siu are among the board members. Siu is one of 19 “wanted” Hong Kong activists with HK$1 million bounties placed on their heads by the local police.The new office will be led by Hong Kong diaspora activists operating from global hubs, including in Australia, Canada, Taiwan, the UK, and the US, according to the human rights NGO’s press release.
The office, which opened on Tuesday, will be the first Amnesty section to operate wholly “in exile.” It says it will focus on advocating for the human rights of Hongkongers in the city and abroad.Fernando Cheung.
Photo: Catherine Lai/HKFP.In the press release, Cheung said: “Being overseas provides us with a degree of protection, allowing us to speak more freely and engage in advocacy work. We have a responsibility to do more to support those who remain in Hong Kong and continue their vital efforts.
”The office’s new executive director, Chi-man Luk, said that “since the closing of AmnestyInternational Hong Kong three years ago, our dedication has only grown. We are now readyto intensify our efforts by building new communities of support driven by the Hong Kongdiaspora.”Cheung has been living in Toronto, Canada, since 2022, months after serving three weeks in prison for contempt in connection with a melee that broke out at the legislature in 2020.
Siu, based in Washington, DC, stands accused of colluding with foreign forces; an arrest warrant was issued for her in December 2023.2021 office closureAmnesty, headquartered in the UK and officially registered in Switzerland, had maintained a base in Hong Kong for 40 years.In 2021, Anjhula Mya Singh Bais, then-chair of Amnesty’s board, said the decision to close the office was driven by the national security law, “which has made it effectively impossible for human rights organizations in Hong Kong to work freely and without fear of serious reprisals from the government.
”A day after the closure, the city’s then-leader Carrie Lam dismissed concerns about organisations working freely in Hong Kong, claiming there was no proof of Amnesty’s concerns.Human Rights Watch, a rights NGO headquartered in the US, also left Hong Kong in 2021 after its leadership was sanctioned by China, according to the New York Times. Dozens of other civil society groups disbanded following the enactment of the security law.
Design works for Amnesty International Hong Kong. Photo: Tomorrow Design Office.Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest.
It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
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