Twenty-seven international human rights groups, trade unions and legal bodies have issued a joint statement calling on the Hong Kong authorities to release activists Chow Hang Tung and Lee Cheuk Yan and to withdraw all national security charges against them.
The appeal, released on International Human Rights Day, describes the pair’s detention as “arbitrary” and says their advocacy for truth over the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown and their roles within civil society “should never constitute grounds for prosecution”.
The statement was coordinated by Amnesty International, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and joined by two dozen global organisations. It expresses regret that the trial of Chow and Lee, both repeatedly denied bail, has again been pushed back, this time from November to 22 January.
Both activists have now spent 52 months in custody awaiting trial. Amnesty International notes this is more than four times longer than the average pre-trial detention in Hong Kong national security cases, describing the delay as “punitive”.
The groups cite a 2023 ruling by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which found Chow’s detention unlawful, a finding that is equally relevant to Lee. They argue that the authorities have continued to rely on the National Security Law and other vague or overly broad legislation as tools of repression.
The coalition sets out four demands: the immediate and unconditional release of the two activists; an end to criminal prosecutions targeting the peaceful exercise of rights; the restoration of public space for commemorating the Tiananmen crackdown; and the repeal of laws that restrict freedom of expression, assembly and association, including the National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.
Separately, the ITUC launched a global “Free Lee Cheuk-yan” campaign, highlighting that Lee has spent more than 1,700 days behind bars. ITUC said Lee, a long-standing trade unionist, is now accused of “inciting subversion” for organising peaceful Tiananmen vigils. The group has created a dedicated campaign hub to mobilise international labour solidarity throughout his trial.
Rights Group Warns China Using Long Sentences to Bury Defenders
Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) also marked Human Rights Day by naming ten human rights defenders it says have been wrongfully imprisoned in China, arguing that Beijing uses decade-long sentences to silence peaceful dissent and erase individuals from public memory.
Among them is former University of Hong Kong law scholar Benny Tai Yiu-ting, sentenced to ten years earlier this year.
CHRD notes that four of the ten defenders remain disappeared, with authorities refusing to disclose their whereabouts. Others are held in harsh conditions, facing inadequate food, water and fresh air.
The statement cites UN human rights chief Volker Türk’s call for Hong Kong to review Tai’s case and overturn judgments that fall short of international standards.
“Beijing wants the world to forget these courageous defenders,” said Angeli Datt, CHRD’s research and advocacy coordinator. “We can resist that by recognising their work and demanding their release.”
Source: Points Media