Hong Kong Watch marks International Human Rights Day on its eighth anniversary

Today on Human Rights Day, Hong Kong Watch celebrates our eight-year anniversary and calls on democratic governments around the world to strengthen their commitment to human rights, particularly in foreign policy.

On 10 December 1950, the United Nations established Human Rights Day to be commemorated around the world to mark the anniversary of the passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on 10 December 1948. The UDHR “enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being”. 67 years later, on Monday 11 December 2017, Hong Kong Watch was founded in the Speaker’s House of the UK Parliament in response to the need for a robust response to the deteriorating human rights environment in Hong Kong.

The Speaker of the UK House of Commons at the time, John Bercow, hosted the launch of Hong Kong Watch, alongside our founding Patrons, former UK Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, independent crossbench peer Lord Alton of Liverpool, barrister Sir Geoffrey Nice KC, and the late Lord Ashdown, former Leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Today, eight years later, human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law in Hong Kong have all been systematically violated and in many cases dismantled by the Hong Kong and Beijing governments. Furthermore, the international legal order that underpins the human rights conferred by the UDHR seems increasingly fragile, as violations and human rights abuses proliferate across the globe.

It presents a daunting picture for those who care about the values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. But Hong Kong Watch will not be deterred.

We will continue our international advocacy on behalf of Hong Kong, particularly in our main bases of operation in the United Kingdom, United States, European Union, and Canada, with Patrons and staff working in all these regions. We will also conduct advocacy work on the United Nations level and in the Indo-Pacific region. In all regions, we will push for governments around the world to place human rights and the rule of law at the centre of their foreign policy, to stand up to authoritarianism, and resist the temptation to prioritise quick economic deals over long-term security and robust democracy.

We will continue to advocate for British National (Overseas) and other diaspora Hong Kongers, seeking enhanced protections in law against the threat of transnational repression. We will continue to scrutinise the impacts of the erosion of the rule of law in Hong Kong, including on the business environment within the city. And we will continue to advocate for the rights of political prisoners, including by seeking sanctions and other punitive measures against the officials that have committed human rights abuse in Hong Kong.

You can stay in touch with our activities and with the latest developments in Hong Kong by following us on social media and by subscribing to our monthly human rights briefing.

香港監察紀念國際人權日與成立八週年 呼籲民主政府彰顯人權承諾 誓言繼續為港人發聲

今日是國際人權日，香港監察慶祝成立八週年，同時呼籲世界各國民主政府加強對人權的承諾，尤其是在外交政策方面。

1950年12月10日，聯合國設立國際人權日，紀念1948年12月10日通過《世界人權宣言》，《世界人權宣言》「莊嚴保護人身為人而有權享有的不可剝奪權利」。67年後，在2017年12月11日（星期一），香港監察在英國國會下議院議長府邸宣告成立，回應採取有力措施應對香港不斷惡化人權狀況的需要。

時任英國下議院議長柏爾勤（John Bercow）聯同香港監察創始贊助人──前英國外交大臣聶偉敬爵士（Sir Malcolm Rifkind）、中立上議員奧爾頓勳爵（Lord Alton of Liverpool）、御用大律師尼斯爵士（Sir Geoffrey Nice）和已故前自由民主黨黨魁艾思定勳爵（Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon），主持香港監察成立典禮。

八年後的今日，香港的人權、基本自由和法治均受到系統式侵害，甚至幾乎被香港和北京政府徹底摧毀。此外，隨着全球各地侵犯人權行為激增，《世界人權宣言》所賦予人權所支撐的國際法律秩序也顯得日漸脆弱。

這對於關心民主、人權和法治價值的人來說，無疑是令人洩氣的景象。但是，香港監察不會因此而退縮。

我們會繼續為香港展開國際倡議工作，尤其是在香港監察贊助人和團隊的所在地，包括英國、美國、歐盟和加拿大。我們也會在聯合國層面和就印太地區展開倡議工作。在所有地區，我們會敦促世界各國政府置人權和法治於其外交政策的核心，對抗威權主義，並拒絕將短期經濟交易置於長期安全和穩固民主制度之上。

我們會繼續為BNO及其他海外港人發聲，尋求加強法律保障以抵抗跨國鎮壓的威脅。我們會繼續密切關注香港法治受損的影響，包括對香港營商環境的影響。我們也會繼續倡議政治犯的權利，並尋求對在香港侵犯人權的官員實施制裁及其他懲罰措施。

歡迎各位追蹤我們的社交平台，並訂閱我們的每月人權狀況簡報，隨時了解我們的工作和香港的最新狀況。

Photo: Markus Spiske on Unsplash