Cardinal Joseph Zen arrested by Hong Kong government

Washington, D.C. (May 11, 2022) — Last night the Hong Kong government arrested and subsequently released on bail Cardinal Joseph Zen, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, on charges of collusion with foreign forces.

“The arrest of Cardinal Zen by the Hong Kong government is an outrageous violation of basic human rights” said Amb. Andrew Bremberg, President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. “We condemn the Hong Kong government for this unjust arrest and call for the immediate, unconditional release from all charges and detention of Cardinal Zen, Jimmy Lai, and all political prisoners who have been victimized under Hong Kong’s draconian policies.”

Known as the “new conscience of Hong Kong,” Cardinal Joseph Zen was awarded the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation’s Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom in 2019 for being a champion of human rights and dignity for the people of Hong Kong and China.

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.

In June of 2021, Hong Kong authorities forcibly closed Apple Daily, a bastion of independent journalism, and arrested its founder Jimmy Lai, who was also awarded the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation’s  Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom in 2021 for his lifelong commitment to freedom and democracy.