Government Relations

Fifty-Three International Organizations Stand Firm Against Transnational Repression Ahead of the P.R.C.'s 75th Anniversary

September 30, 2024 | by Racqueal Legerwood |China, Hong Kong, Tibet

Police try to detain a man after skirmishes between anti-Chinese Communist Party protesters and pro-China protesters near the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, on November 16, 2023. The APEC Summit takes place through November 17. (Photo by Jason Henry / AFP) (Photo by JASON HENRY/AFP via Getty Images)
(JASON HENRY/AFP via Getty Images)

Originally published 9/30/24 by Hong Kong Democracy Council

On September 30, 2024, ahead of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Amnesty International USA signed onto a joint statement with 52 human rights organizations to oppose acts of transnational repression, including by the Chinese government. The statement calls for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate allegations of transnational repression attacks during the November 2023 APEC Summit in San Francisco, as reported by Hong Kong Democracy Council and Students for a Free Tibet.

Washington, D.C. (Sept. 30, 2024) — Ahead of the P.R.C.’s 75th anniversary, the Hong Kong Democracy Council and Students for a Free Tibet – coauthors of Exporting Repression: Attacks on Protesters During Xi Jinping’s Visit to San Francisco in November 2023 – led a joint statement, which was signed by ten international nonprofit allies and 43 human-rights defenders and advocacy organizations, affirming their commitment to stand firm against transnational repression.

Joint Statement Against Transnational Repression
We stand together with dissidents against the long arm of authoritarian governments around the world. As organizations committed to protecting civil liberties, we, the undersigned, pledge to remain vigilant through education and advocacy to combat the growing threat of transnational repression.

In recent years, authoritarian leaders around the world have intensified their efforts to silence criticism and intimidate critics abroad. These heinous actions are designed to restrict human rights such as the freedoms of speech and expression, even in countries like the United States where these rights are typically safeguarded; they undermine the rule of law globally and threaten the integrity of democratic countries. As always, human-rights defenders and members of the media face the greatest danger, with women particularly vulnerable to additional gender-based violence in the context of transnational repression.

One disturbing example occurred on the streets of San Francisco in November 2023, when Hong Kong, Tibetan, Uyghur, and mainland Chinese protesters gathered to oppose the Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the APEC Summit. As documented by a recent report jointly published by the Hong Kong Democracy Council and Students for a Free Tibet — followed by a Washington Post investigation — harassment, intimidation, surveillance, and physical violence were orchestrated by groups affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party. Even consular personnel were seen on the ground. We urge the U.S. State Department to consider elevating this as a diplomatic incident and the Justice Department to consider bringing federal charges against those who were responsible. Congress should likewise consider passing relevant new legislation to deter future episodes.

Moving forward, we will continue to collaborate with affected communities to raise public awareness of the tactics employed by governments that extend their reach abroad. We will persist in highlighting instances where authoritarian states and their non-state allies engage in these activities. We will develop and strengthen mechanisms that identify perpetrators responsible for transnational repression. Most importantly, with the urgency and gravity that this issue demands, we will make transnational repression a priority in our discussions with policymakers to encourage a strong, robust response.

We will always support individuals on the receiving end of transnational repression.


Signatories:
International Nonprofit Organizations
Alliance of Democracies Foundation
Amnesty International USA
ARTICLE 19
Freedom House
Human Rights Foundation
Human Rights Watch
International Service for Human Rights
International Tibet Network
Safeguard Defenders
World Liberty Congress
Advocacy and Community Organizations
Anti China Expansion Movement
Arizona for Hong Kong
Blossom Community HK CIC
Bonham Tree Aid
Canada-Hong Kong Link
China Aid Association
Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP
Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation
DAWN
DC4HK – Washingtonians Supporting Hong Kong
Democracy for Hong Kong
Ensaaf
Freiheit für Hongkong
Friends of Falun Gong
Fundacíon para la Libertad de Nicaragua
Germany Stands with Hong Kong
Hong Kong Affairs Association of Berkeley
Hong Kong Aid 港援
Hong Kong Forum, Los Angeles
Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor
Hong Kong Outlanders in Taiwan
Hong Kongers in San Francisco Bay Area
Hongkongers in Britain
HongKongers in Leeds
Hong Kong Watch
Lady Liberty Hong Kong
Lamp of Liberty
Le Comité pour la Liberté à Hong-Kong
Manchester Stands With Hong Kong
New Yorkers Supporting Hong Kong
Northern California Hong Kong Club
Sam Yan Press
Scottish Hongkongers
Southampton HongKongers
Students for a Free Tibet – India
Taiwan Hong Kong Association
Taiwanese American Federation of Northern California
Tibet Initiative Deutschland
Toronto Association for Democracy in China
US HongKongers Club 美國香港人會館
Vancouver Activists of Hong Kong
Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement
Victoria HongKongers Association (Australia)

Hong Kong Democracy Council is a Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan, nonprofit organization for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and Hong Kongers in the United States.

Students for a Free Tibet works in solidarity with the Tibetan people in their struggle for freedom and independence. We are a chapter-based network of young people and activists around the world.
Amnesty International USA signed a joint statement with 52 human rights organizations opposing acts of transnational repression, including by the Chinese government.