Repression of Protests in Hong Kong Alarming, UN Should Guarantee Right to Peaceful Assembly
Five months have passed since the outbreak of peaceful protests in Hong Kong, also known as the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (ELAB) Movement, to oppose the introduction of the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill, proposed by the Hong Kong government, which aimed to allow local authorities to detain and extradite criminals to countries that the local authorities have no agreements with, such as Taiwan and mainland China.
The people of Hong Kong were concerned as such a bill would subject Hong Kong residents and other people visiting the district to mainland China and its jurisdiction, which would constitute a blow to the autonomy of the region which is known for its civil liberties compared to China. The local authorities have responded with force to these protests with the Chinse army being station a few kilometers away from the borders with Hong Kong. As the protests continued, five demands emerged, including investigating the police misconduct and resumption of reforms, promised in the Basic Law.
Yesterday, the local authorities decided to ban masks used by protesters to hide their IDs, fearing arrest by the authorities. Such a decision contradicts freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly. The International United Nations Watch calls on the Chinese authorities to immediately end this ban and to allow protesters to practice their right to peaceful assembly without fear or being exposed to violence by the local police.
The IUNW calls on the international community to pressure the Chinese authorities to end its polices based on confrontation with the protesters and to meet their demands as these demands are permitted in the legal founding documents of Hong Kong itself as well as in international conventions. Leaving protesters alone will only make the crisis worse and Chine should act responsibly in line with the UN charter and regulations, to which the country is a member.
The United Nations should make sure that China, and the local authorities in Hong Kong, abide by commitments the Chinese government, being a member of the UN Security Council, has made, in relation to protecting people’s right to peaceful assembly. It is now all in China’s hands and the government of China should head by calls made by various human organizations and world countries by maintaining people’s right to protest without using violence against them.
