Human Rights in China 中国人权 | HRIC
Published on Human Rights in China 中国人权 | HRIC (https://www.hrichina.org)


November 22, 2019
Posted in: 
Statement
  • Government Accountability
  • Hong Kong

HRIC is deeply concerned about the statement by the spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) during a briefing on November 19, 2019, that castigated the “extreme violence” committed by young protesters in Hong Kong, “including against the police force.” While acknowledging that “[t]he vast majority of the people of Hong Kong have been exercising their right of freedom of assembly peacefully and in accordance with the law,” the spokesperson went on to state that “the authorities have by and large respected the exercise of this right.”

These official statements seriously contradict the extensive documentation by the media and citizens of sustained and deadly escalation of violent and excessive force used by the Hong Kong police since mid-June against the protesters in a large-scale movement that had begun peacefully. Even more troubling, the statements ignore the fact that police violence—condoned by the Hong Kong SAR government— has fueled public anger in a deepening political crisis that the government has refused to address, and has been the driving force in what has become a humanitarian crisis that is now engulfing Hong Kong.

By implicitly condoning state-sanctioned violence in Hong Kong and narrowly focusing on the violent acts of a small number of protesters, the Office’s statement echoes the Communist Party of China’s narrative of protester violence and reinforces government impunity.

“The timing of the OHCHR statement is particularly alarming, made just days after Beijing’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong called for a harsher crackdown on ‘terrorist’ protesters, urging the Hong Kong government to ‘severely punish their violent acts,’” said Sharon Hom, Executive Director of Human Rights in China. “The tacit acceptance by the Office of the High Commissioner of the false reality advanced by the Hong Kong SAR and Beijing governments only serves to legitimate the systematic and ongoing violation of the rights of the Hong Kong people.”

Such violation has been legion over the five months of protest. In addition to routinely denying protesters their lawful rights to assemble and march, the police have deployed staggering amounts of tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and water cannon to attack and disperse peaceful protestors and bystanders—all in clear violation of domestic and international standards for appropriate use of force. In the siege of the Polytechnic University (PolyU) campus begun last Saturday, the police blocked all exits, trapping protestors and non-protesters alike and forcing many to flee by dangerous routes. In all, the police have used over 10,000 tear gas canisters, affecting up to 88 percent of Hong Kong residents; they have fired live ammunition wounding three young protesters; and they have blinded a journalist with a rubber bullet. Police authorities have arrested at least 5,000 people, including 51 individuals who identified themselves as first-aid workers and reporters in the PolyU siege—and hundreds of minors—with some 600 people charged; among the convicted is a boy aged only 12. These statistics are even more alarming in light of credible reports of denial of access to lawyers, mistreatment, sexual abuse and rape, and torture of suspects while in detention, along with widely-circulated video evidence of police brutality in carrying out arrests and harassment and terrorizing of bystanders, including schoolchildren.

In the briefing, the High Commissioner’s spokesperson urged the Hong Kong SAR government to “bring together all sectors of society . . . to find peaceful solutions to the grievances.”  A critical first step toward addressing the grievances would be the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry to investigate all acts of violence by the police and hold those accountable before the law—a step that has received sustained strong support in public opinion. We urge the High Commissioner to exercise the authority of her mandate to press the Hong Kong SAR government to take this critical first step.

Related Resources

UN Statements & Actions, & China's Response

  • UN Special Rapporteurs’ Communication to China on Hong Kong Police Violence (June 28, 2019): EN [1], CHS [2], CHT [3]
  • Statement by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Regarding Disproportionate Use of Force by Police in Hong Kong [4] (Aug 6, 2019, press briefing) Video [5]
  • Statement by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Violence in Hong Kong [6] (Aug 13, 2019, press briefing)
  • China/Hong Kong: UN experts urge China to respect protesters’ rights [7] (Sep 12, 2019)
  • PRC Response to UN Special Rapporteurs on Hong Kong Police Violence [8] (Sep 24, 2019)

HRIC Interviews

  • Apple Daily, Sharon Hom指反修例進入「分水嶺」 籲勿被憤怒蒙蔽免內耗 (Sharon Hom: “Anti-Extradition movement at watershed moment, don’t let rage blind and consume you”) [9] (November 17, 2019)
  • Initium Media, 譚競嫦:推火車的人 (Sharon Hom:  The train pusher) [10] (November 14, 2019)
  • “The Pulse” (RTHK): Interview with Sharon Hom (Nov 2, 2019)
    - Full interview [11]
    - Broadcast portion (first segment) [12]
  • Taipei Times, The ‘auntie’ of Hong Kong’s protest movement: Hailed by young Hong Kongers as a champion of the movement, Sharon Hom talks protest strategy and the endgame [13] (Oct 29, 2019)
  • Hong Kong Free Press, Interview: Advocacy expert Sharon Hom puts Hong Kong protests on the agenda in Washington DC [14] (Oct 13, 2019)
  • Ming Pao, 什麼人訪問什麼人:Sharon Hom:狂做嘢,又狂讀書,最緊要落手改變世界。Who is interviewing whom? A conversation with Sharon Hom: Change the world because the world needs changing [15] (Sept 22, 2019)

HRIC Commentaries

  • Sharon Hom, Hong Kong’s protests: The political bill for impunity must be paid sooner or later [16], Hong Kong Free Press (Aug 7, 2019)
  • Sharon Hom, A letter to Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam: if not to your own conscience, you will be held accountable by history [17], Hong Kong Free Press (July 27, 2019)
  • Commentary by Gao Wenqian, HRIC Senior Policy Advisor: Hong Kong: A High-Stakes Gamble Xi Jinping Is Destined to Make [18] (Sep 3, 2019)

Civil Society Efforts

  • FIDH Urgent Resolution on the Human Rights Situation in Hong Kong [19] (Oct 24, 2019)
  • Academic Open Letter to U.S. Congress: Support Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act [20] (2019)
Hong Kong related resources

2019 Anti-Extradition Protests

  • World’s Top Human Rights Official Must Uphold Her Mandate and Press for Human Rights Protection for the People of Hong Kong [21], November 22, 2019
  • Hong Kong SAR Government Must Ensure Effective De-escalation of Dangerous Police Action at PolyU [22], November 17, 2019
  • NGOs from Over 100 Countries Support the People of Hong Kong [23], October 24, 2019
  • FIDH Urgent Resolution on the Human Rights Situation in Hong Kong [19], October 24, 2019
  • The People's Republic of China at 70: The Final Insanity Commentary by Gao Wenqian [24], October 7, 2019
  • Naked Police Violence in Hong Kong as Beijing Celebrates National Day [25], October 1, 2019
  • CECC Hearing: “Hong Kong’s Summer of Discontent and U.S. Policy Responses” [26], September 19, 2019
  • Sharon Hom’s Testimony at Congressional-Executive Commission on China’s Hearing: “Hong Kong’s Summer of Discontent and U.S. Policy Responses” [27], September 17, 2019
  • China/Hong Kong: UN experts urge China to respect protesters’ rights [7], September 12, 2019
  • Hong Kong: A High-Stakes Gamble Xi Jinping Is Destined to Make [18], September 3, 2019
  • CECC Hearing: “Hong Kong’s Summer of Discontent and U.S. Policy Responses” [26], September 19, 2019
  • End Impunity for State-Sanctioned Violence in Hong Kong [28], August 13, 2019
  • Statement from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, on Violence in Hong Kong [6], August 13, 2019.
  • Chinese Mission to the UN in Geneva's Remarks on OHCHR Press Briefing Note [29], August 13, 2019.
  • HRIC Urges Michelle Bachelet to Support the People of Hong Kong [30], June 28, 2019.
  • HRIC, 2019 Hong Kong Protests against Extradition Bill: A Brief Timeline [31], last updated August 12, 2019.
  • Sharon Hom, Hong Kong’s protests: The political bill for impunity must be paid sooner or later [16], Hong Kong Free Press, August 7, 2019.
  • Sharon Hom, A letter to Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam: if not to your own conscience, you will be held accountable by history [17], Hong Kong Free Press, July 27, 2019.
  • Compilation of incidents of police violence on August 11 in Hong Kong [32], August 11, 2019.
  • Carrie Lam’s Press Conference [33], August 13, 2019
  • The Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong: Club Lunch Panel: The Hong Kong Protests and Press Freedom [34], August 11, 2019.
  • The Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong: Sharron Fast: Covering the Hong Kong Protests [35], August 6, 2019.
  • The Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong: Stevo Stephen: The Hong Kong Protests – A Workshop on Journalists’ Safety [36], July 23, 2019.
  • Hong Kong reporters coughed blood and developed rashes after tear gas exposure [37], doctors say, Hong Kong Free Press, August 9, 2019.
  • Hong Kong police admit ‘decoy operation’ (video) [38], South China Morning Post, August 12, 2019.

2014 Occupy Movement

  • HK Timeline: The Struggle for Democracy & Universal Suffrage [39]
  • CRF 2015, no. 1 - HK & Mainland: Shared Future, Contested Present [40]
  • CRF 2014, no. 2 - Steadfast in the Storm [41]

Other

  • CRF 2011, no. 4 - Hong Kong & Mainland China: Building a Shared Future [42]

Source URL: https://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/statement/worlds-top-human-rights-official-must-uphold-her-mandate-and-press-human-rights

Links
[1] https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=24674
[2] https://www.hrichina.org/sites/default/files/chs_sp_communicatons_on_hong_kong_2019.06.28.docx
[3] https://www.hrichina.org/sites/default/files/cht_sp_communicatons_on_hong_kong_2019.06.28.docx
[4] https://www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/(httpBriefingsLatest_en)/7E21003165D441AEC12584510049265D?OpenDocument
[5] http://webtv.un.org/watch/geneva-press-briefing-wfp-ochr-unhcr-iom/6068524189001
[6] https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=24888&LangID=E
[7] https://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/hric-bulletin/chinahong-kong-un-experts-urge-china-respect-protesters-rights
[8] https://www.hrichina.org/sites/default/files/prc_sept._24_reply_to_sr_communication_on_hong_kong.pdf
[9] https://hk.news.appledaily.com/local/realtime/article/20191117/60271804
[10] https://theinitium.com/article/20191115-hongkong-profile-sharon-hom
[11] https://www.facebook.com/RTHK.Pulse/videos/506074409972631/
[12] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qDt-LK0sNRo
[13] file:///C:\Users\Sharon\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.Outlook\OA2Y3H83\§%09http:\www.taipeitimes.com\News\feat\archives\2019\10\29\2003724831\1
[14] https://www.hongkongfp.com/2019/10/13/interview-advocacy-expert-sharon-hom-puts-hong-kong-protests-agenda-washington-dc/
[15] http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2019/10/29/2003724831
[16] https://www.hongkongfp.com/2019/08/07/hong-kongs-protests-political-bill-impunity-must-paid-sooner-later/
[17] https://www.hongkongfp.com/2019/07/27/letter-hong-kongs-carrie-lam-not-conscience-will-held-accountable-history/
[18] https://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/hric-bulletin/hong-kong-high-stakes-gamble-xi-jinping-destined-make
[19] https://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/joint-statements/fidh-urgent-resolution-human-rights-situation-hong-kong
[20] https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeUuCmYMS9hQbrP7ShZ6BauqAJpvuSoOkDMqKw30IWWlBZ8hQ/viewform
[21] https://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/statement/worlds-top-human-rights-official-must-uphold-her-mandate-and-press-human-rights
[22] https://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/hric-bulletin/hong-kong-sar-government-must-ensure-effective-de-escalation-dangerous
[23] https://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/hric-bulletin/ngos-over-100-countries-support-people-hong-kong
[24] https://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/hric-commentary/peoples-republic-china-70-final-insanity
[25] https://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/hric-bulletin/naked-police-violence-hong-kong-beijing-celebrates-national-day
[26] https://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/hric-bulletin/cecc-hearing-hong-kongs-summer-discontent-and-us-policy-responses
[27] https://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/statement/sharon-homs-testimony-congressional-executive-commission-chinas-hearing-hong
[28] https://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/statement/end-impunity-state-sanctioned-violence-hong-kong
[29] http://www.china-un.ch/eng/hom/t1688514.htm
[30] https://www.hrichina.org/en/press-work/hric-bulletin/hric-urges-michelle-bachelet-support-people-hong-kong
[31] https://www.hrichina.org/en/2019-hong-kong-protests-against-extradition-bill-brief-timeline
[32] https://www.facebook.com/57studioo/videos/1291569237687250/
[33] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e66yDClY1SE
[34] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUyZ_cT0Lgc
[35] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4Lgj1jZJqw
[36] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P55mri6fXTc
[37] https://www.hongkongfp.com/2019/08/09/hong-kong-reporters-coughed-blood-developed-rashes-tear-gas-exposure-doctors-say/
[38] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jndLG9mCFsg
[39] https://www.hrichina.org/en/hk-timeline-struggle-democracy-universal-suffrage
[40] https://www.hrichina.org/en/crf/2015.1/hk-mainland-shared-future-contested-present
[41] https://www.hrichina.org/en/crf/2014.2/steadfast-in-the-storm
[42] https://www.hrichina.org/en/crf/issue/2011.04