Uncategorized

Chow Hang-tung

May 2, 2023 by zarganar

March 2024

Hong Kong: Overturning of Chow Hang-tung Tiananmen acquittal another blow to rule of law

‘I yearn to see you’ – Valentine’s letters to activists detained in mainland China and Hong Kong

September 2023

Chow Hang-tung remains in prison waiting for her appeal against her conviction in March. Other charges remain against her.

In June The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the U.N. Human Rights Council found that Chow Hang-tung’s imprisonment is a breach of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which China signed in 1998. The U.N. group has sharply criticized the new national security law that China imposed on Hong Kong, and under which Ms. Chow is being prosecuted. The group concluded Ms. Chow should be freed. On 4th June Chow Hang-tung went on hunger strike in prison for 34 hours to mark the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown.

Chow Hang-tung was awarded the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights by the South Korean May 18 Memorial Foundation in May 2023. The Gwangju Prize is awarded to individuals and organizations who have contributed significantly to the development of human rights, unification, solidarity, and peace.

March 2023

Chow Hang-tung, 38, a prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and former vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China is back in prison. This is her third prison sentence. Along with Tang Ngok-kwan and Tsui Hon-kwong she was sentenced to four-and-a-half months.

Chow Hang-tung, along with six other Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, were found guilty of “not complying with a national security police request for information”, under the city’s controversial national security law.

The activists were charged in connection with the annual vigil held in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park to commemorate the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. The vigil had been banned by Hong Kong authorities in 2022, citing concerns over the spread of Covid-19, but many Hong Kongers defied the ban and attended the event anyway.

The convictions have been widely criticized by human rights groups and democracy advocates around the world. Many see them as part of a broader crackdown by the Chinese government on Hong Kong’s freedoms and autonomy, which were promised to the city under the “One Country, Two Systems” framework.

Chow also faces a further ten years in prison under Hong Kong’s draconian National Security Law, for allegedly endangering national security through her actions.

Tiananmen Square

Protests in China were largely student-led demonstrations calling for political and economic reforms – including free speech and a free press. An armed suppression ordered by the Chinese authorities, on June 4 and 5, 1989 led to a massacre of the unarmed demonstrators in Tiananmen Square. Reporters and Western diplomats in Beijing that day estimated that hundreds to thousands of protesters were killed, and as many as 10,000 were arrested. Despite efforts by the Chinese government to erase this event from history, it has inspired millions around the world to fight for human rights and democracy.

Annual Commemorations

The first commemoration of the Tiananmen Square massacre took place in Hong Kong in 1990, and Chow has been involved in recent annual commemorations, organizing the vigil on behalf of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China. Each year on June 4th, people would gather in Victoria Park to light candles and demand accountability for those killed.

But in 2021, everything changed for Chow. After urging people on social media to light a candle at home in remembrance of Tiananmen, she was arrested. Chow became one of the victims of Hong Kong’s new National Security Law, a sweeping piece of legislation that has eroded human rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, and essentially eliminated the right to peaceful protest.

In December 2021 and January 2022, Chow was initially convicted respectively for inciting and taking part in an unlawful assembly (the vigil in 2020) and sentenced to 12 months. A 15 month sentence was then added for organizing the vigil in 2021. She served a total of 22 months in prison

Write for Rights 2022: Hong Kong – Chow Hang-tung

Chow Hang-tund was featured in Amnesty’s Write for Rights 2022

[Read more…]

Stop the Execution of Reggie Clemons

August 31, 2012 by zarganar

Reggie Clemons is featured on our letters page as well, with a video of a Guardian interview, so please check that page out. What is unique about his case (sadly being on death row in America with a very dubious conviction isn’t unique) is that the state of Missouri Supreme Court assigned a ‘special master’ judge to investigate the reliability of his conviction. The review starts on 17 September. Please tell the Missouri Authorities to use this opportunity and stop the execution of Reggie Clemons.

Amnesty International UK have asked us to circulate a petition for our monthly action of September. We will do so at our meeting on 13th September. If you are not able to attend, please fill in the online petition here. Better still, download a petition and get family and friends to fill in as well.

Christchurch Street Collection

July 30, 2012 by zarganar

Louise & Ted talk tactics Thanks to everyone who helped out on Saturday. And a warm welcome to
Daniela who stayed for over two hours having only just made contact with our group! Street collections are not everyone’s idea of fun, as you can stand for ages being totally ignored by everyone…

We raised £109 – which is quite a big sum for Christchurch. Again, thanks for all who helped out.

AmnesTEA in Southbourne

July 4, 2012 by zarganar

Anna Moreton help the group’s first AmnesTEA last weekend in Southbourne. The concept is simple – you invite people around for tea and cake – and encourage them to make a donation. That hides the amount of work behind the scenes, plus trying to publicise the event (and then work out numbers).

I know Anna was supported by family, friends and other group members – many of whom donated cakes (she is still probably having cake for breakfast!). She has a lovely garden and the weather held fair…. But as with organising anything you never know what (or who) to expect).

It was a tremendous effort by Anna, with a great result. As she says:-

‘The Amnestea raised £102.81 on Saturday and I’ll round it up to £110. So thank you to everyone who baked, ate, and ate some more – cake. I still have some left!! The sun did shine and it looks like we got one of the few days it appeared.!!”

So be inspired, anyone who is thinking of doing a similar event. And talking of fund-raising – don’t forget the Christchurch Street Collection on Saturday 28th July…..

Arms Trade Treaty

May 11, 2012 by zarganar

Please Sign the Petition

We are in Bournemouth Square this Sunday (13th May) afternoon collecting signatures for an Amnesty International petition. We want David Cameron to join Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband by publicly committing the UK to lead the way in securing a bulletproof Arms Trade Treaty.

No one knows for sure how many hundreds of thousands of people were killed in Iraq under Saddam Hussein. But we do know that at least some of the weapons used to do the killing came from companies based in the UK and USA. The weapons were sold to him even though it was known he was committing such atrocities.

World leaders meet in July to draw up the first ever treaty aimed at controlling this deadly trade. With your help, the Arms Trade Treaty can help save thousands of lives. But it will only succeed if it makes clear that arms shall not be transferred where there is serious risk that they will be used to commit human rights abuses and atrocities as well as fuel poverty. [Read more…]