Hong Kong: Stop the prosecution of Tiananmen vigil organiser
In an open letter to Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng, ARTICLE 19 alongside 71 other international non-governmental organisations and individuals, calls for the charges against Chow Hang-tung (鄒幸彤) to be immediately dropped and for her to be unconditionally released.
Ms. Chow is a barrister and vice president of the civil society group Hong Kong Alliance, which organises the annual Victoria Park vigil to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre. Police arrested Chow on 4 June 2021, released her on bail on 5 June, but detained her again on 30 June.
The charge against Chow is based on alleged violations of Hong Kong’s Public Order Ordinance, which requires organisers to notify police of demonstrations in advance, and requires them to get a ‘notice of no objection’ from the police before proceeding. The UN Human Rights Committee has criticised the law, saying that ‘it may facilitate excessive restriction’ on basic rights. Human rights organisations have repeatedly urged the Hong Kong government to amend the law because it is incompatible with international standards on freedom of assembly.