On Second Anniversary of Imposition of Hong Kong National Security Law, VOC Calls for Additional Measures to Support Hong Kongers

Washington, D.C. (June 30, 2022) – Today marks the second anniversary of the imposition of the Hong Kong National Security Law, which was imposed on Hong Kong by the Chinese Communist Party in 2020.

“By imposing the draconian National Security Law on Hong Kong, the Chinese Communist Party violated the democratic and fundamental freedoms of Hong Kongers, as well as violated the international agreement it made to respect the autonomy of Hong Kong” said Amb. Andrew Bremberg, President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. “The United States and the international community must take additional measures to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable and to support the people of Hong Kong.”

Since the imposition of the draconian National Security Law by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020, many pro-democracy activists and Hong Kong citizens have been detained for criticizing Beijing’s policies and Hong Kong authorities have completely eroded, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and peaceful assembly, including Hong Kong’s annual commemoration of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. The law is being used to silence and target journalists, lawyers, scholars, and activists, and now even religious figures such as Cardinal Joseph Zen, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, who was recently arrested on charges of “collusion with foreign forces” before subsequently being released on bail.

In June of 2021, Hong Kong authorities forcibly closed Apple Daily, a bastion of independent journalism, and arrested its founder Jimmy Lai, who was awarded the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation’s  Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom in 2021 for his lifelong commitment to freedom and democracy. Today, Jimmy Lai is in prison for participating in pro-democracy protests. There are now over a thousand political prisoners in Hong Kong, according to this recent report released by the Hong Kong Democracy Council.

The United States and the free world must hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for destroying the autonomy and freedom of Hong Kong, and take additional measures to support Hong Kongers. One such measure is the Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act, introduced by Rep. Tom Malinowski, intended to provide a fast path to the United States for Hong Kong’s entrepreneurs, scientists, and academics, and other Hong Kongers suffering under the Chinese government’s tightening grip of repression.

“The national security law imposed by the Chinese government on Hong Kong has been a disaster for its people” said Representative Malinowski. “The bill is a strong statement to Beijing: if you suffocate Hong Kong’s freedom, you will lose its wealth and talent to the United States, and your loss will be our gain.”

Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation is an educational, research, and human rights nonprofit devoted to commemorating the more than 100 million victims of communism around the world and to pursuing the freedom of those still living under totalitarian regimes.

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