Fiona said:
"It was a profoundly moving moment when Hong Kong Watch was launched this week in the Speaker's State Apartments at Westminster."
A new advocacy organization focused on Hong Kong was launched at a reception hosted by the Speaker of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament on Monday, 11 December 2017. The new organization, Hong Kong Watch, will be a London-based human rights organisation which will monitor human rights, freedoms and rule of law in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Watch has the support of eminent patrons from across the political spectrum including former Foreign Secetary Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC, former Labour Shadow Foreign Minister Catherine West MP, former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Paddy Ashdown, independent cross-bencher Lord David Alton, and former prosecutor of Slobodan Milosevic, barrister Sir Geoffrey Nice QC.
More than ever there are concerns that the universal freedoms and democratic reforms, which the people of Hong Kong are entitled to under Hong Kong’s Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration, are under threat along with Hong Kong’s autonomy under the principle of ‘one country, two systems’.
Lord Paddy Ashdown, the former leader of the Liberal Democrats said,
“As China’s power in the world grows, its responsibilities increase, and China has a responsibility to live up to its promises and obligations to Hong Kong. In recent years there are worrying signs that ‘one country, two systems’ and Hong Kong’s basic freedoms are being eroded. Britain has a responsibility to Hong Kong too, to monitor and speak out for Hong Kong’s way of life. The Sino-British Joint Declaration is precisely that – a joint declaration signed by both countries and lodged at the United Nations. Hong Kong Watch is being established to monitor, research and advocate in defence of Hong Kong’s freedoms, autonomy and rule of law and to urge both China and Britain to fulfil its obligations under the Joint Declaration, and that is why I am delighted to be a Patron of Hong Kong Watch.”
Hong Kong Watch will research the status of Hong Kong's freedoms and raise concerns with the United Kingdom government and the wider international community should violations of the rights and freedoms enshrined in Hong Kong’s Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration take place.
Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC, who served as Foreign Secretary between 1995 and 1997, said,
"The people and government of the United Kingdom feel an obligation to the people of Hong Kong to help ensure that they enjoy their freedom and the rule of law for the next 25 years and beyond. Hong Kong Watch is a splendid initiative towards that end.”
The organisation will provide independent, comprehensive analysis and thought leadership on freedom and human rights in Hong Kong. Using in-depth research, Hong Kong Watch will regularly update parliamentarians, government officials and the media in the UK and around the world.
Catherine West MP, Labour Member of Parliament, former Shadow Foreign Minister and Deputy Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on China said:
“Our islands share a deep history that is continuing to grow through trade, education, politics and culture and our commitment to Hong Kongers’ rights must remain as steadfast as ever, which is why I am honoured to become a Patron of Hong Kong Watch.”
This announcement of Hong Kong Watch’s launch comes only three weeks after Benedict Rogers, Chairman of Trustees at Hong Kong Watch, was denied entry into Hong Kong. Mr Rogers had been entering Hong Kong on a private visit, and has yet to receive an explanation about why he was denied entry. Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, has said that the Chinese government were responsible for the decision, as Mr Rogers’ entry was a matter of ‘foreign policy’. In response to Mr Rogers being denied entry, UK Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, raised concerns about this with the Chinese government, and said that “Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, and its rights and freedoms, are central to its way of life and should be fully respected.”
Chairman of the Trustees at Hong Kong Watch, Benedict Rogers, says,
“We believe that an international NGO to monitor and report on the worsening situation in Hong Kong is much-needed and long overdue. Based in London, our aim is to be international, a voice in the United Kingdom and other capitals around the world.”
His sentiments were echoed by Lord Alton, an independent crossbench peer and leading voice for human rights, who says,
“Twenty years after the handover of Hong Kong to China, it is clear that Hong Kong’s freedoms and autonomy are threatened. Britain has specific moral and legal responsibilities to Hong Kong. The launch of Hong Kong Watch, an organization that will conduct independent, critical, constructive and responsible research and advocacy to uphold, defend and strengthen Hong Kong’s freedoms and autonomy, as promised to Hong Kong under the Basic Law, the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the concept of ‘one country, two systems’, is very welcome, timely and much needed. I am delighted to be a Patron of Hong Kong Watch, having first visited Hong Kong as a young Member of Parliament representing the city of Liverpool with its vibrant connections to Hong Kong, and having met in recent months some of the brave young campaigners for democracy in Hong Kong, Joshua Wong and Nathan Law. I look forward to supporting Hong Kong Watch as a Patron, in order to defend and strengthen the basic freedoms which Hong Kong people have been promised and deserve.”
You can read Lord Alton's website entry about the event here: https://davidalton.net/2017/12/12/hong-kong-watch-launched-at-mr-speake…