British human rights activist Benedict Rogers said on Monday he had been warned by Hong Kong authorities to take down his NGO’s website or face jail time.
The chief executive of Hong Kong Watch — a UK-based charity which “researches and monitors threats to Hong Kong’s basic freedoms, the rule of law and autonomy” — said he received a letter from the city’s police, which stated the NGO “has been engaging in activities seriously interfering in the affairs of the HKSAR [Hong Kong Special Administrative Region] and jeopardizing national security of the People’s Republic of China”.
In a copy of the letter uploaded on Hong Kong Watch’s website, the NGO was also accused of colluding with foreign forces through “lobbying foreign countries to impose sanctions or blockade and engage in other hostile activities against the People’s Republic of China or the HKSAR, and seriously disrupting the formulation and implementation of laws or policies by the HKSAR Government or by the Central People’s Government”.
According to the letter, Rogers — who co-founded Hong Kong Watch — was also issued a notice to remove the organization’s website and failing to do so would make him liable on conviction on indictment to a fine of HK$100,000 (US$12,773) and to imprisonment for one year.
Rogers and Hong Kong Watch were also asked to “immediately cease engaging in any acts and activities in contravention of the national security law or any other laws of Hong Kong” or “further action will be instituted against” them without further notice.
The warnings make Hong Kong Watch one of the first foreign organizations to be targeted under Hong Kong’s national security law, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Authorities have said that the law is applicable to offenses committed outside the city by people who are not permanent residents of Hong Kong.
The force said it will not comment on specific cases, adding it “will act on the basis of actual circumstances and according to the law” in conducting any operation.
As of Monday afternoon, the NGO’s website cannot be accessed in Hong Kong. But users overseas can still visit the site.
Despite the warnings, Rogers stressed that the NGO “will not be silenced” and “will continue to be a voice” for Hongkongers.
“By threatening a UK-based NGO with financial penalties and jail for merely reporting on the human rights situation in Hong Kong, this letter exemplifies why Hong Kong’s national security law is so dangerous,” he said in a statement.
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called the action taken against Hong Kong Watch “unjustifiable” and a clear attempt “to silence those who stand up for human rights in Hong Kong”.
“The Chinese Government and Hong Kong authorities must respect the universal right to freedom of speech, and uphold that right in Hong Kong in accordance with international commitments, including the Joint Declaration,” she said.
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