Urgent Action Update: VETERAN RADIO HOST SENTENCED FOR PEACEFUL ACTIVISM (Hong Kong: UA 84.22)

Detained veteran internet radio host “Giggs” Edmund Wan, who had been remanded in custody for over 19 months, was sentenced to 32 months’ imprisonment on sedition and money laundering charges on 7 October. Wan is imprisoned for criticizing the government in his radio shows and fundraising for the education of young Hong Kong protesters now in Taiwan. Wan was targeted merely for exercising his right to freedom of expression through peaceful means. He must be released immediately.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Please take action as-soon-as possible. This Urgent Action expires on December 30, 2022.
2. Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
3. Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 84.22. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

CONTACT INFORMATION

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SAMPLE LETTER Dear Chief Executive, I am writing to express my grave concern for ‘Giggs’ Edmund Wan Yiu-sing (尹耀昇), a veteran internet radio host who has been convicted and sentenced to 32 months on charges of seditious intention and money laundering. It is alarming to learn that Giggs is imprisoned for his political comments on Hong Kong and mainland China, as well as for hosting a fundraiser for sponsoring the education of Hong Kong youths in Taiwan. Peaceful expression of opinion and public fundraising are permissible under international human rights law and standards, and must not be criminalized or otherwise excessively restricted through the use of vague national security offences. I find it worrying that Wan was tried without a jury and unrestricted access to legal aid. In a judicial system increasingly tilting against the accused in cases that are perceived as “related to national security”, Wan has been convicted of money laundering despite the prosecution providing scant evidence to prove that the fundraising proceeds stemmed from illegal activities. It appears that the authorities are expanding the range of the tools they use to target peaceful activists like Wan. It is distressing that the Hong Kong authorities are weaponizing colonial-era charges that have not been used since 1967 to target dissidents. Just this July, the UN Human Rights Committee in its Concluding Observations on the Fourth Periodic Report of Hong Kong have expressed concern over the government using sedition charges to prosecute journalists and representatives of civil society exercising their right to freedom of expression. The prosecution of Wan violates international human rights laws and standards. The Committee urged the repeal of the sedition provisions in the Crimes Ordinance and an end to all cases against individuals charged for exercising their freedom of expression. The Hong Kong authorities should implement these recommendations immediately. I therefore call on you to:

• Release Wan Yiu-sing immediately, as he was charged solely for peacefully exercising his human rights, and drop all charges against him;
• End the practice of bringing ‘national security’ charges against those who have simply exercised their right to freedom of expression or other human rights;
• Review and amend all laws and regulations, and end all related measures, that violate the exercise of human rights, to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

Sincerely, [YOUR NAME] ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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