The State of Civil and Political Rights in Hong Kong
Announcement
Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on “The State of Civil and Political Rights in Hong Kong.”
There has been a steady erosion of civil and political rights in Hong Kong, as the former British colony’s reputation for respecting the rule of law and fundamental freedoms has increasingly been undermined by the People’s Republic of China. Despite an obligation to preserve Hong Kong’s institutions under the “One Country, Two Systems” formula under both the Basic Law – Hong Kong’s constitutive document – and the Sino-British Joint Declaration, critics contend that “One Country, One System” now prevails, as the distinction between the PRC and Hong Kong has been incrementally erased.
Witnesses will address all aspects of the decline in civil and political rights, from erosion of press freedom and the shuttering of the independent Apple Daily newspaper, to the decline in judicial independence, to the shutting down of opposition political voices, to the curbing of religious freedom.
This hearing will hybrid. Pursuant to H. Res. 965, Members of Congress and witnesses will participate in person or remotely via Cisco WebEx. Members of the public and the media may view the hearing by live webcast on the Commission website. The hearing will also be available for viewing on the House Digital Channel service. For any questions, please contact Piero Tozzi at Piero.tozzi@mail.house.gov (for Rep. Smith) or Kimberly Stanton at kimberly.stantonfa@mail.house.gov (for Rep. McGovern).
Hosted by:
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Opening remarks
- Rep. Christopher H. Smith, Co-Chair, TLHRC
Written remarks - Rep. James P. McGovern, Co-Chair, TLHRC
Written remarks
Panel I
- Michael C. Davis, Global Fellow, Wilson Center and former Professor of Law, University of Hong Kong
Written testimony - Mark Clifford, President, Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong, Former independent Non-Executive Director, Next Digital, and Former Editor-in-Chief, South China Morning Post
Written testimony - Joanna Chiu, Author, China Unbound
Written testimony - Roy Chan Ho-hing,Pastor, Good Neighbour Church England
Written testimony - Samuel Chu, Founder and Former Managing Director of HKDC
Written testimony
Submitted for the Record