Report: A Question of Patriotism: Human Rights and Democratization in Hong Kong

Awaiting a Democratic Hong Kong

The Humans Right Watch put out a Report in Septemeber 2004, detailing the start of the democratic movement in Hong Kong during the last year, along with cases of intimidation that has been reported. It’s 42 pages but a really good overview.

A Question of Patriotism: Human Rights and Democratization in Hong Kong

The past ten months have seen a marked decline in the human rights situation in Hong Kong. In addition to the April 6 interpretation, the following incidents have cast a shadow over human rights in Hong Kong:

In early March 2004, two of Hong Kong’s most prominent radio journalists, Albert Cheng and Wong Yuk-man, received threatening phone calls from a prominent businessman with known triad society connections.4 The businessman told both men that he was calling on behalf of a senior official in Beijing, and told them that they should stop broadcasting until after the September election. After they were victimized by vandalism attacks on businesses they had invested in, both men decided to take a break.

Allen Lee, a longtime Hong Kong politician and former Liberal Party chairman who had taken over for Cheng in the broadcast booth, announced that he too was stepping down after less than three weeks. Lee was repeatedly approached by mainland officials over his work on the show, and one former Chinese government official made reference to his wife and daughter during their conversation.

In mid-May, a number of Hong Kong voters called in to local radio shows to report that they had been pressured to vote for pro-Beijing candidates. One caller said that he was told to take a picture of his ballot with his mobile phone, and that if he failed to do so, his business would suffer.

Unknown individuals have vandalized the office fronts of some pro-democratic politicians, among them Emily Lau, Leung Yiu-ching, and Ray Au. One legislator had the words “All Chinese traitors must die” scrawled on his office wall. Some politicians have received intimidating phone calls and letters, a number of which have threatened violence.  One politician has had her home ransacked.

Over the past year, the “one country, two systems” framework put forward by Beijing as the operating principle for governance of Hong Kong has been placed under considerable strain. In order to preserve Hong Kong’s autonomy, Beijing should end its aggressive intervention in Hong Kong affairs, and allow Hong Kong’s political parties to rise and fall based on their own ability to win public support. If Beijing does not uphold its pledge not to intervene, then human rights protections in Hong Kong will continue to erode.