World leaders gathering in Beijing next Monday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation [APEC] summit, should urge China to release scores of mainland activists detained for peacefully supporting Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, said Amnesty International. At least 76 people in mainland China remain in detention for supporting calls for genuine universal suffrage in Hong Kong, according to the latest information Amnesty International has been able to verify.
“APEC leaders must end their recent silence on the crackdown against mainland Chinese activists expressing support for Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters. Political convenience should not trump principled action,” said Roseann Rife, East Asia Research Director at Amnesty International. "The leaders should take this opportunity to speak out and urge President Xi to ensure all those detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are immediately and unconditionally released.”
The past month has seen Chinese police detain people in connection with the pro-democracy protests, especially in Beijing, Jiangsu, and the southern cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, which are close to Hong Kong. Individuals have been held for posting pictures online with messages of support, shaving their heads in solidarity, or for planning to travel to Hong Kong to participate in the protests. Scores of others have been called in for questioning by the authorities, known as being “invited for tea”. Chinese state censors have attempted to ban photos and block any positive mentions online of the pro-democracy protests, while only allowing TV and newspapers to run government-approved news and commentary. The BBC website and the photo-sharing platform Instagram have been banned since last month.
