12 detained democratic activists in China could pressure CCP|Glacier Kwong
The movement started with the aim to deter the city’s Extradition Bill, to prevent locals and foreigners from being trailed or jailed in China. Yet, what we were trying to prevent has become reality. 12 Hong Kongers, all involved in the movement, were seized by China’s coast guard when fleeing to Taiwan for political asylum. They are now all detained in China. Among them, the youngest is aged only 16, and one of them is a Portuguese national. Over the past three weeks, they have been reportedly denied access to legal services their family instructed, and also medication that some of them need to treat depression and asthma.
Request for a visit to the detainees in Shenzhen by their families and lawyers assigned by them were declined. The authorities even browbeat the lawyers into withdrawing from the case by threatening to get them expelled from the legal profession — subsequently, four lawyers quit for safety reasons. All signs showed that it is highly likely that the twelve Hong Kongers would be in China’s custody for a long time, without any trace.
The twelve Hong Kongers, unfortunately, have become China’s hostages in its usual “hostage diplomacy”. The development after they were captured has indicated the determination of the Chinese authorities to crack down on the morale of the movement. There are more draconian laws in China , which makes secret trials, forced confessions, and imprisonment very likely happen to the 12. What is worse, they could be charged and tried under the national security law within China’s jurisdiction.
Fearing that their families are in imminent danger, the family members of the 12 have made their first public appeal for help. “I haven’t been able to fall asleep since we lost touch with each other, and I fear I can’t see my son again,” said a mother. Another mother criticized the authorities resolutely, “My son had never entered Mainland China. How could he possibly appoint a lawyer in a place where he barely knows anyone?”
They have made four appeals to the authorities:
1. no “official lawyers” and immediate permission granted by the authorities to the lawyers appointed by their families to interview the 12 Hong Kong detainees.
2. provision of appropriate medication by the authorities for the detainees in need.
3. permission granted by the authorities to the detainees to make phone calls to their families.
4. protection from the Hong Kong Government for the rights of Hong Kong people by taking the 12 Hong Kong people from China back to Hong Kong immediately.
The message they delivered is like tears filling rooms and sorrow filling every Hong Konger’s heart-- #Save12HKyouths, and bring their children back.
It makes me really sad that the requests they made are, in fact, very fundamental rights that one should be able to enjoy. The denial of legal rights and the threats made against lawyers assigned by their families have perfectly illustrated why we objected so strongly to the Extradition Bill last year - the law lets suspects of any nationality to be transferred to China. It is our worst nightmare that the twelve Hong Kongers are now going through what we were trying to prevent in the first place.
I cannot imagine if they would have to go through inhumane torture as Wang Quanzhang did. Wang, as he put it, was luckier than other prisoners he encountered. It is because the work done by his wife and his friends drew incessant public attention. For this reason, the authorities have been very embarrassed, passive and under tremendous pressure. This is exactly what we ought to do now, and why we are not entirely hopeless. If we can grasp any amplifier we get, we should zero in on the incident to exert immense pressure on the authorities. Calling for international attention to the developments of the event is essential at this moment. We might be able to help them, or at least prevent them from disappearing, and hopefully make sure that they are safe and sound.
(Glacier Kwong, born and raised in Hong Kong, became a digital rights and political activist at the age of 15. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Law and working on the course for Hong Kong in Germany. Her work has been published on Washington Post, TIME, etc.)
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