The Congressional-Executive Commission on China was created to monitor human rights & rule of law in China & submit an annual report to the President & Congress
The escalating violence in
#HongKong
is extremely concerning and the premeditated attack on university campuses, where over 1k rounds of teargas were used, raises disturbing questions as to whether the
#Chinese
govt’s strategy is to create more chaos & new protests. 1/5
In 2020, the
@CECCgov
Chairs will continue to seek an end to
#Xinjiang
internment camps & forced labor; freedom for jailed lawyers & rights advocates; human rights for the
#Tibetan
people; democratic freedoms for
#HongKong
and free speech &
#religiousfreedom
for all in
#China
.
Statement by the Chairs on the imposition of national security legislation in
#HongKong
. The Chairs call on the PRC gov't to reverse its outrageous & unacceptable action & uphold int'l obligations to protect HK's autonomy & the freedoms of the HK people.
The
#HongKong
govt’s rejection of
#JoshuaWong
’s nomination to run in District Council elections violates HKers’ right to stand for election as guaranteed in the Basic Law. HKers should have the choice to elect individuals freely without censorship or political pressure.
Concerns for retroactive application of Nat’l Sec Law are renewed, as
#HongKong
govt arrests
#TonyChung
& 3 others whose political group disbanded before the law went into effect. The Chairs call on HK gov’t to drop charges & for
@UN
to establish a Special Rapporteur for HK.
Chairs send bipartisan letter to
@Disney
inquiring about the filming of
#Mulan
in
#Xinjiang
#Uyghur
Autonomous Region (XUAR) and
#Disney
’s relationship with security and propaganda entities responsible for committing, or covering up, atrocities in the
#XUAR
.
Today’s
#HongKong
Read: In the past year of protests, HK police made nearly 9k arrests, 81% under the age of 30, highlighting the need for an independent judiciary that upholds HK’s freedoms through the rule of law.
A year ago today, one million
#HongKongers
protested a controversial extradition bill. The Chairs stand with the HK people and call on the
#Chinese
& HK govt’s to withdraw measures endangering the democratic freedoms and autonomy guaranteed to the people of
#HongKong
.
The arrest of
#JimmyLai
& others
@appledaily_hk
is intended to intimidate media
#Beijing
cannot control. Strong int’l condemnation of these outrageous actions are needed & the
@UN
should begin urgent discussions of the human rights restrictions condoned by
#HongKong
’s
#NatSecLaw
.
The
#HongKong
govt suspended its facemask ban after a HK High Court ruled it unconstitutional, but the
#Chinese
govt’s fierce criticism of the court’s decision & its threat to rework the city’s legal framework is the type of overreach that stoked 5 months of protests 1/3
Invoking the Emergency Regulations Ordinance to ban mask wearing will not address the grievances underlying 4 months of protests.
@CECCgov
Chairs urge the
#HongKong
govt to seek a political solution that addresses the key demands of the protesters.
Arrests of
#AgnesChow
& others under
#HongKong
Nat’l Sec. Law confirm
#UN
Rapporteurs’ concern that enforcement of vague law may constitute arbitrary detention. Int’l coordination needed on sanctions & other actions to protect rights, including
@UN
.
The House of Representatives joined the Senate today to pass overwhelmingly the
#Uyghur
Human Rights Policy Act. The Chairs urge
@POTUS
to quickly sign the legislation to help address some of the world’s worst human rights abuses.
The U.S. & int'l community cannot ignore the hard authoritarian message sent this week w/ the brazen sentencing of
#GuiMinhai
& arrests of
#JimmyLai
,
#LeeCheukyan
, &
#YeungSum
. The world must coordinate actions to protect
#HongKong
's autonomy & the rights of
#Chinese
citizens.
The declaration by
#Beijing
’s Liaison Office that it isn't subject to the
#BasicLaw
is a severe blow to
#HongKong
autonomy & rule of law. Article 22 of the Basic Law is clear & the Hong Kong gov't should reject, not endorse, this assault on “one country, two systems” framework.
"It is impossible to argue that these two organizations aren't bound by Article 22 of the Basic Law," Lee said. "No matter how high their status, they are still under the central government."
"It makes no sense for them to pretend."
On
#HumanRightsDay2019
we continue to stand in solidarity with the people of
#HongKong
, their struggle to maintain Hong Kong’s promised autonomy & democratic freedoms are of critical interest to the U.S. and the international community.
Beijing should also consider the likely costs of any additional measures to undermine
#HongKong
’s autonomy—more political disruption, curtailed access to the global financial system, & new sanctions by the US and the international community. 5/5
Expelling journalists from
#China
in the midst of a pandemic is outrageous and limits access to uncensored information about the virus as well as trusted econ data required by investors. Beijing further erodes
#HongKong
’s autonomy by denying expelled reporters from working there.
Teenager in critical condition after being shot by police w/ a live round during
#HongKongProtests
. The
#HongKong
govt should allow peaceful protest, immediately deescalate & establish an independent police commission to investigate police violence.
We call upon
@POTUS
to sign into law the
#HongKongHumanRightsandDemocracyAct
and demonstrate that the US stands in solidarity with the HK people and that their continued autonomy & democratic freedoms is a critical interest of the US & the int’l community. 2/2
#HongKong
police reportedly issued warrants for a US citizen & 5 other overseas democracy advocates under the
#NationalSecurityLaw
. The Chairs call on HK gov’t to repudiate this action & for an urgent
@UN
discussion about the
#NSL
& deteriorating human rights conditions in HK.
Today’s
#HongKong
Read: NGO report detailing HK first-aiders’ experience of police abuse submitted to UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on HK. Important info for upcoming US State Department certification required by HK Human Rights & Democracy Act.
The
#XinjiangPapers
confirm what was long known, a ruthless campaign carried out by high level officials who should face, at very least, U.S. & int’l sanctions, including
#Politburo
member
#ChenQuanguo
. Congress should pass legislation to address what are truly egregious abuses.
China has detained up to a million Muslims, a campaign it calls a benevolent and routine effort against the pull of extremism. But 403 pages of Communist Party documents we obtained reveal how officials plotted to carry out a ruthless, coercive clampdown.
Instead of investigating police violence at Prince Edward Station on Aug 31st, the
#HongKong
gov't arrests democracy advocates
#JimmyLai
,
#LeeCheukyan
, &
#YeungSum
. Outrageous actions like this only undermine public trust during
#COVID19
epidemic.
The Nat’l People’s Congress’s expected directive to
#HongKong
on a nat’l security law is counterproductive & has pushed HK’s autonomy to the breaking point. We call for a strong response from the US & int’l community to protect the rights & freedoms promised to Hong Kongers.
On
#HumanRightsDay2019
we honor those defending human rights in
#China
, often at great personal risk. We urge the Chinese govt to guarantee the freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights & fully protect the human rights that belong to each Chinese citizen.
The recent attacks on
#JimmySham
& other District Council candidates are unacceptable acts of violence that seem intended to intimidate the people of
#HongKong
ahead of elections in November. We call on the
#HK
govt to bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice swiftly.
Last week,
@CommerceGov
placed 8
#Chinese
companies & one gov’t agency on the “Entity List,” potentially barring new US exports. The
@CECCgov
has called for strong actions to address intolerable human rights abuses in
#Xinjiang
.
#HongKong
’s sweeping new Nat’l Security Law is an assault on HK’s democratic freedoms & rule of law. The Chairs stand with Hong Kongers & pledge to support legislative measures to protect them & condemn the
#Chinese
govt’s violation of its int’l obligations. (Thread) 1/11
As
#HongKong
residents are prosecuted for demanding meaningful elections, 7
@UN
experts raise concerns about a vague Nat’l Security Law that infringes on fundamental rights & recommend "reconsideration” to ensure compliance w/
#China
's int’l obligations.
The Chairs support UN Rapporteurs’ call for the
#HongKong
gov’t to ensure the overly broad Sedition Law & Anti-Terrorism Law is in compliance with int’l human rights standards to avoid abusing national security offenses.
@UNHumanRights
The Chairs joined 213 other Parliamentarians to express “grave concerns” about the unilateral introduction of nat’l security legislation in
#HongKong
” & to say that this “flagrant breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration cannot be tolerated.”
On the anniversary of the People's Republic of China's founding, we remember those in
#China
who sacrificed in pursuit of human rights & the rule of law. We will continue to call on the Chinese govt to abide by int’l standards & immediately release political prisoners.
Attacks on candidates for district council elections and threats to cancel the November 24th elections will only enhance grievances & further signal
#Beijing
’s full control over the
#HongKong
govt. 4/5
Equally concerning is
#Beijing
’s announced plans to exercise more control over
#HongKong
politics, judiciary & educational system & to accelerate efforts to pass national security legislation that would further curtail free speech and civil liberties. 2/5
Satellite imagery analysis reveals a building boom of prison-like facilities designed to detain vast numbers of people in
#Xinjiang
, contradicting
#Chinese
gov’t claims that detainees have been released. 1/2
The
@CECCgov
has long called for holding PRC &
#HongKong
officials accountable for the suppression of freedom of expression & assembly & undermining the rule of law in HK. Today’s
@USTreasury
sanctions sends the right message & the int’l community should take similar actions.
The Chairs were joined by 76 members of the Senate and the House in sending a letter to the Administration seeking an "atrocity crime" determination and sanctions for the forced sterilizations of
#Uyghur
women in
#Xinjiang
.
We condemn authorities’ use of excessive force and support demands for accountability, political dialogue, and the protection of democratic freedoms promised by
#Beijing
in the Sino-British Declaration, an international treaty. 3/5
Read the newly published Executive Summary of the 2019 Annual Report with recommendations to Congress and the Administration and highlighted cases of political and religious prisoners.
The arrest of veteran pro-democracy leaders is another alarming sign the
#Chinese
&
#HongKong
govt’s would rather punish & provoke peaceful activists than address their demands. The US & the world should not be silent as HK’s autonomy erodes.
More than a dozen leading pro-democracy activists and former lawmakers in Hong Kong were arrested in connection with the protests that raged in the city last year. It's the biggest roundup of prominent opposition figures in recent memory.
Four yrs ago,
#LuGengsong
was sentenced to 11 yrs on a “subversion of state power” charge for publishing articles critical of the
#Chinese
gov’t. It’s one of many examples where authorities used nat’l security as a pretext to subvert human rights
#HongKong
The Chairs support statement by 50+
@UN
independent experts calling for an urgent
@UNHumanRights
session to evaluate
#Chinese
govt’s persistent human rights violations & to discuss establishment of UN mechanisms to monitor
#HongKong
,
#Xinjiang
, &
#Tibet
.
New implementation rules for
#HongKong
’s Nat’l Sec Law are a growing concern as they require global content censorship & user data on demand & impose heavy penalties for noncompliance. Social media companies must not allow themselves to be complicit in human rights violations.
TikTok says it will exit Hong Kong, joining other big tech firms that have expressed wariness about operating in the Asian financial hub after China imposed a controversial national security law there.
The
#Chinese
Communist Party’s disciplinary commission confirms
#RenZhiqiang
’s investigation but fails to provide a factual or legal basis for his detention. Chairs call for his release & endorse his appeal for a press free from censorship & restrictions.
The Chairs call on
#HongKong
University to rescind its decision to fire
#BennyTai
for his efforts to organize democratic organizations & in violation of his fundamental human rights. US universities should sever ties w/HKU over this egregious violation of academic freedom.
See
@CECCgov
analysis of
#HongKong
’s National Security Law highlighting provisions inconsistent with HK’s Basic Law & international human rights norms.
Chairs are gravely concerned about the disappearance of
#AndyLi
, including reports of confinement to a psychiatric hospital, an unacceptable model of abuse used too often in Mainland China. The Chairs urge the
#HongKong
government to release him & allow legal counsel.
#HKETO
.
Chairs remain deeply concerned about the disappearance of Dr.
#AiFen
, who was censured for discussing her early warnings about
#COVID19
. If detained, she should be released & allowed to tell her story freely about the virus's discovery & spread in
#Wuhan
.
The Chairs urge the
#Chinese
gov’t to disclose the whereabouts/release citizen journalist
#ChenQiushi
who disappeared after reporting on the
#coronavirus
in
#Wuhan
. Transparency is key to addressing a global health crisis, not censorship or repression. See
The Chairs call on the
#HongKong
gov’t to rescind the disqualification of
#Legco
candidates given it clearly violates basic human rights as protected in the
#ICCPR
& Sino-British Joint Decl., e.g., the rights of self-determination, expression, & participation in public affairs.
Today over 190 organizations called on apparel brands to cut ties w/suppliers complicit in the use of forced labor in
#Xinjiang
, a region where proper labor due diligence is impossible due to pervasive surveillance & intimidation.
#EndUyghurForcedLabour
#HongKong
’s governance is not China’s internal affair.
#China
must fully abide by the terms & spirit of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, an int’l treaty. There are U.S. interests are at stake if Hong Kong’s autonomy & fundamental freedoms are further eroded.
The political turmoil in
#HongKong
over past year is the result of actions by the HK & Chinese govts, including the unwillingness to address the legitimate petitions of the HK people & failures to stop excessive police violence against peaceful protestors. 2/2
#HongKong
gov’t refuses to renew visa for
@NYT
correspondent
#ChrisBuckley
, duplicating the PRC govt’s recent decision to deny him a new work visa. HK govt’s violation of press freedom will only limit access to credible info on HK politics & economy.
The Chairs call for the immediate release of
#MichaelKovrig
&
#MichaelSpavor
. The US & allies must press to end
#Beijing
’s coercive use of isolated detentions, nat’l security charges, & exit bans as violations under the
#ICCPR
&
@UN
Torture Convention.
39 countries, including the U.S., call on
#China
to uphold fundamental freedoms in
#HongKong
and allow immediate int’l access to
#Xinjiang
in light of mass arbitrary detention, forced sterilization, & other rights abuses.
On Int’l Day of the Victims of
#EnforcedDisappearances
the Chairs call on the
#Chinese
gov’t to provide information to the family of human rights lawyer
#GaoZhisheng
, who has been missing since
#Beijing
police detained him in 2017. Find case info @ link
#WangQuanzhang
still cannot rejoin his family in
#Beijing
. The Chairs renew their call for an end to his arbitrary detention & urges the
@UN_SPExperts
to investigate the
#Chinese
govt's practice of subjecting political prisoners to exile/house arrest after completing prison terms
Chairs deeply troubled by details emerging about nat’l security legislation. Each detail is worse than the next & allows
#Beijing
to take jurisdiction over nat’l security cases & to establish a security office in
#HongKong
. Schools & social groups will face increased restrictions
The House of Representatives today passed overwhelmingly the
#UyghurForcedLaborPreventionAct
(HR 6210) to ban imports made w/forced labor in
#Xinjiang
& to sanction persons engaged in labor trafficking. The Chairs urge the Senate to quickly take up & pass this legislation.
The
#Tibet
Policy & Support Act passed the House of Representatives today. The Chairs introduced identical bills (H.R. 4331/S. 2539) to strengthen U.S. gov't efforts to protect the human rights, religious freedom, & the environment of the Tibetan people
Chairs ask
@POTUS
to seek the release of detained journalists & raise concerns about “increasingly draconian” restrictions on press freedoms that limits what the world knows about
#China
& what the
#Chinese
people know about their own gov’t and its policies.
#WorldPressFreedomDay
Today
@CECCgov
released a new analysis showing
#HongKong
&
#Chinese
authorities have used the National Security Law exclusively as a tool to suppress political dissent protected by HK‘s Basic Law & the
#ICCPR
👇
The Chairs welcome
@UN
experts statement expressing grave concerns about
#Chinese
gov’t interference in
#Tibetan
#Buddhist
faith & traditions. We urge our Senate colleagues to quickly pass the
#Tibet
Policy & Support Act to affirm support for Tibetan human rights in US policy.
Chairs call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained for preserving digital records that were blocked or removed during the
#Chinese
gov’t aggressive online censorship about
#COVID19
.
#Terminus2049
Info about the atrocities occurring in
#Xinjiang
was widely available when
#Mulan
was filmed. The Chairs urge
@Disney
to speak out against the mass internment of
#Uyghurs
& take actions to address ongoing atrocities using the
@UN
Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights.
Calls to boycott Disney's live-action remake of "Mulan" are growing after some viewers pointed out that the movie was filmed partly in Xinjiang, the region in China where Uighur Muslims have been detained in mass internment camps.
The incommunicado detentions & abusive interrogations of 12
#HongKong
residents detained in
#China
deserves worldwide condemnation. Their rights should be respected & they should have access to family-appointed lawyers, suitable medical care & contact w/ family.
#SaveHK12Youths
#WangYi
given 9 yr sentence for “inciting subversion” despite his detention being deemed “arbitrary” by
@UN
#WGAD
. Pastor Wang criticized
#Chinese
govt’s efforts to subdue all independent religious & social organizations. He should be released immediately.
Petition filed by 11 groups w/
@CBPMarkMorgan
calls for a regional ban on the import of cotton from
#Xinjiang
. The Chairs continue to call for passage of
#Uyghur
Forced Labor Prevention Act to address imports made with forced labor from the region.
Leaked docs. show that
#Uyghurs
are being detained for praying, applying for a passport & for having more kids than the
#Chinese
gov’t allows. The int’l community can't be silent about
#Xinjiang
atrocities. Congress should swiftly pass
#UyghurHumanRightsAct
(S. 178)
#KarakaxLists
As
#Ramadan
begins, the Chairs call on the
#Chinese
gov’t to end its campaign to punish & prevent
#Muslims
from worshiping & reading the Quran, from practicing their faith through diet & dress, & end the equation of
#Islam
w/terrorism—which is a gross violation of human rights.
The Chairs call for the immediate release of women & labor rights advocate
#LiQiaochu
, detained in
#Beijing
on 2/16/20. Her father & lawyers denied info about the legal basis for her detention, which has now exceeded the 37 days allowed under PRC law.
The Chairs call on the
#Chinese
gov’t to rescind new restrictions on
#COVID19
research which will deny the world critical & timely information. Controlling the narrative should not be more important than complete transparency & scientific collaboration.
The
#ChinaCables
reveal for the world to see the brutality of the mass internment camps & high-tech policing system in
#Xinjiang
. They also expose the scandal of
#Chinese
diplomats helping to identify for detention
#Uyghurs
who have lived abroad. 1/2
The
@WorldBank
defends its
#Xinjiang
project by claiming a 91% job placement rate for ethnic minorities. In a region where over a million are interned & forced labor required, this is a red flag, not a measure of success.
@DavidMalpassWBG
1 year ago
#PengShuai
accused
#ZhangGaoli
of sexual assault. While Zhang was notably featured at the 20th Party Congress, Peng remains disappeared, an unacceptable reality underscored by the fact that, for the first time in 25 years, no women will serve on the 24-member Politburo
Chairs extend their condolences to the family & friends of Dr.
#LiWenliang
. He was silenced by the police for raising the alarm about the
#Wuhan
#CoronaVirus
& tragically died from it yesterday. He is rightly being hailed as a hero by the
#Chinese
people.
The steps taken by
#CarrieLam
should have been taken in June. Over the last 13 weeks, the demonstrations have become about the future of
#HongKong
's freedom & autonomy. Addressing these grievances now will take more than a commitment to withdraw the bill.