前日（1月6號），中國對香港展開史無前例的大逮捕，猶如戒嚴時期台灣所經歷的美麗島事件，香港民主抗爭陣營的領頭人物幾乎遭逮捕殆盡。自清晨開始，千名香港警力，以香港國安法之名，登門搜捕去年7月「35+民主派立法會初選」的參與者，一共53人；警方亦搜查民調機構「香港民意研究所」總部，並依法庭「交出文件令」，要求《立場新聞》、《獨立媒體》、《蘋果日報》、《壹傳媒》等媒體於7日內交出相關資料。被捕人士包括美籍律師關尚義（John Clancey），其所任職的「何謝韋律師事務所」同時遭警方搜查。
自國安法實施以來，已有多達93人被捕，以及多人遭起訴，包含持「光復香港、時代革命」旗幟的唐英傑，「學生動源」成員鍾翰林等人、抗爭者馬俊文、《蘋果日報》創辦人黎智英。《南華早報》更指出，有30多名海外港人遭國安法通緝，成為「流亡黑名單」，香港本地政界與各業別皆有組織迫於政治壓力而宣布解散。
今天（8號），台灣公民團體與在台港人組織邀請香港海外民主運動領袖聯合召開記者會。主持人台灣公民陣線秘書長江旻諺在開場時呼籲國際社會立即採取行動，要求中國立即釋放被捕人士，呼籲歐洲議會暫停對中投資協議，並訴求台灣國會通過「香港人權及民主條款」。
長期進行國際倡議的香港前立法會議員張崑陽表示，前天中共的行動使香港抗爭者也受到前所未有的打壓，幾乎所有民主派都被同時一網打盡，參與初選不再是一個民主國家單純的參政行為，而是「顛覆國家政權」，這是北京政府的明確表態，這條紅線將日趨緊縮，未來香港本地政治情況會越來越惡劣。
香港前立法會議員、現流亡在倫敦的羅冠聰表示，台灣對香港在各種意義上都發揮了支持，不僅是仰望台灣過去的民主前輩對於民主自由的堅持與犧牲，以及台灣過去一年多來政府與公民社會對香港的聲援與直接援助，這都是讓香港人在黑暗中得以繼續前行的力量。
經濟民主連合智庫召集人賴中強律師也提及，中國無視國際譴責，以「法律閃電戰」鎮壓香港的反對力量，而這次的大抓捕已是第二次閃電戰行動，是中國對整個民主陣營的攻擊，猶如納粹的閃電戰，考驗歐州的價值判斷，是要維持人權價值，還是大企業短期的商業利益。
台灣國會香港友好連線會長、立委林昶佐也提醒台灣民眾，莫再用姑息的態度面對中共對香港民主的打壓，在民主國家，國會審查預算不論是嚴審或寬鬆都是基本的問政權利，不該被當作違反國安法的理由。未來也將在立法院內繼續推動台灣版本的馬格尼茨基人權問責法，唯有在亞洲首開先例，才有辦法串聯出更多的亞洲國家站出來發聲，而台灣過去的歷史經驗與切身之痛讓我們責無旁貸。
台灣香港協會理事長桑普也表示，在可見的未來，頻繁的政治清算、鎮壓將成為新的常態，勢必有更多港人遭迫害、逮捕，或選擇流亡。獨裁的一國容許不了民主的兩制，天朝主義下的中共必會透過獨裁之手，粉碎自由法制的香港。2021的中國就像1949年隔年的中國，將所有反對中共的人全數鎮壓、逮捕，這趨勢也體現在香港如今已被逐步封網，也正如同中國在1950年所做的禁止人員與資訊的通達。
台灣公民陣線秘書長江旻諺指出，即便近年來中國深陷貿易、科技戰困境，香港反送中運動也掀起國際抗中浪潮；先後出現多個支持香港民主，與針對中國人權侵害現況的法案與政策，進而挫敗了中國威權擴張的野心。然而，近期美國正值政權交接期，新任的民主黨政府對中態度尚未明朗；歐盟委員會更與中國簽下「雙邊投資協定」，表示將促進通訊、雲端服務、生物醫療、交通等產業的雙邊投資。民主國家陣營撐港抗中的態勢，彷彿要出現裂解的危機。
他總結道，正因為國際社會的鬆懈，為中國鎮壓香港提供了絕佳機會。中國對香港政治局勢發展逐步拿回主導權，步步收緊自由空間，警隊濫權情形加劇，政治抓捕不留餘地。此時此刻，中國正透過消滅香港的反抗力量來扭轉全球抗中的態勢，我們需要持續關注香港，聯合國際社會立即行動，制止中國。
因此，今日多個公民團體共同發起記者會，提出以下三項訴求：
一、中國政府與香港政府應立即廢除國安法，並釋放所有因國安法入罪之人士
2015年7月9日，「709大抓捕」中，上百位中國維權律師與民權人士遭抓捕、失聯；在今日香港，中共同樣大規模逮捕民主派人士，藉此對社會施殺雞儆猴之效。如此將「人」作為恐怖統治之對象的行徑令人不恥。
在人權表現上劣跡斑斑的中國、香港政府，應當立刻懸崖勒馬，廢除國安法或其他違反現代法治國原則的法律迫害工具，並釋放所有因此被抓捕的本地公民及外籍人士。
二、歐盟與歐洲議會應暫停並重新審視歐中投資協議，正視香港國安法對歐中投資與貿易造成的風險與負面影響
縱然歐盟表示，歐中投資協議將遵照歐盟高峰會去年10月通過的決議，強調歐洲各國十分擔憂香港的人權狀況；協議也將嚴格貫徹歐盟標準的勞動標準，回應新疆的強迫勞動情況。然而，在協議中未見對香港國安法的明確回應，也未直面國安法之下近乎瘋狂的逮捕與鎮壓。香港局勢發展已經證明，若缺乏國際的強烈施壓，中國只會持續升高對香港民主與自由之箝制。即便如此，歐盟卻仍堅持與中國進行經濟往來，罔顧其歷來強調的人權價值。
當歐盟輕易簽下協議，無異於變相鼓勵中國即便持續侵害人權，都無損於其外交與經貿易利益。對此，我們呼籲，歐盟應再次審慎考量此貿易合作，並且，歐洲議會應暫停歐中投資協議，重新審視協議內容，待中國實際改善人權狀況，並落實香港自治承諾，再納入必須的人權條款，確保雙邊政府在獲利的同時，能真正保障人權。
三、台灣政府應制定「香港人權及民主條款」，以明確法制逐步升級援港政策
台灣撐港，責無旁貸。我們與香港共同抗中，在地理上還是最親近香港的民主國家。即便台灣民間與政府早已開始運作港人庇護措施，然而，面對香港局勢急速惡化，與不穩定的疫情因素，台灣政府必須更積極建置資源，發展完備機制，並促使行政部門儲備量能，因應邊境解封後的大量的緊急需求。除此之外更應考慮加入國際盟友對中的制裁行動。
目前，除了美國政府在去年7月宣布取消香港特殊待遇，發動多項對港制裁，並通過《香港人權及民主法案》，禁止侵害人權的中共官員入境之外，歐盟也在去年底通過「歐洲聯盟人權和民主行動計畫」（EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy），預計對中共人權迫害者進一步提出制裁。此時的台灣，更應該跟上國際盟友的腳步，建立屬於台灣的香港人權及民主法案。
蔡英文總統在去年5月曾經提出，若香港局勢持續惡化，不排除動用《港澳條例》第60條，令條例部分或全部停止適用；然而，在香港局勢逐漸劣化的此刻，台灣對香港人的支持及援助就更為關鍵。因此，台灣的公民團體與港人組織將聯合提出《港澳條例》第六十條之一的「香港人權及民主條款」修法草案，規範行政院每年針對香港情勢提出評估報告，並依此擬定因應對策，以明文制度，逐步強化台灣的援港政策。
⏥ 記者會聯合發起團體：
香港邊城青年、台灣人權促進會、經濟民主連合、台灣公民陣線、台灣香港協會、華人民主書院、臺灣青年民主協會、人權公約施行監督聯盟、民間司法改革基金會
⏥ 記者會資訊：
｜時間：2021年1月8日（五）上午九點
｜地點：立法院中興大樓（委員研究大樓）101室
｜出席：
羅冠聰｜香港前立法會議員（線上出席）
張崑陽｜2020年香港「35+民主派立法會初選」勝選人（線上出席）
林昶佐｜立法委員
賴中強｜經濟民主連合智庫召集人、執業律師
桑 普｜台灣香港協會理事長
｜主持：江旻諺｜台灣公民陣線秘書長
｜新聞聯絡人：
江旻諺（台灣公民陣線秘書長｜0937-169-222）
李芃萱（香港邊城青年理事長｜0912-545-542）
The Group of
Democracies, Act NOW!
— Press release of the “Hong Kong Version of Formosa Incident” Press Conference
convened by Taiwanese civil organizations and Hongkonger groups in Taiwan
The day before yesterday (January 6), China launched an unprecedented large-scale arrest in Hong Kong, as if an reiteration of the Kaohsiung Incident (Formosa Incident) experienced by Taiwan during its Martial Law period, the leaders of the Hong Kong pro-democracy dissidents were almost completely rounded-up. Since the early morning, thousands of Hong Kong police, in the name of Hong Kong’s National Security Law, have searched the residents of the 53 participants of the 2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy legislative primaries from last July. The police also raided the headquarter of the polling agency Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, and required media, including Stand News, Hong Kong In-media, Apple Daily, Next Digital, to submit relevant documents within 7 days, in accordance with an “Order of Document Delivery” issued by the court. John Clancey, an American lawyer was also arrested, whose firm “Ho Tse Wai & Partners” was also raided by the police.
Since the implementation of the National Security Law, as many as 93 people have been arrested and among those, many have been prosecuted, including Tong Ying-kit who raised the banner of “Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times”, the members of Studentlocalism, including 19-year-old activist Tony Chung among others, Ma Chun Man, a protester, and the founder of “Apple Daily”, Jimmy Lai. The South China Morning Post also pointed out that more than 30 overseas Hong Kongers were listed as wanted in accordance with the National Security Law and became names on the “blacklist of exiles”. Multiple organizations in the political sphere and other industries have announced their dissolution under political pressure.
Today (8th Jan), the Taiwanese civil organizations and groups of Hongkongers in Taiwan has invited the Hong Kong oversea leaders of democratic movement to hold the joint press conference together. Chiang Min-Yen, the Secretary General of Taiwan Citizen Front, called for an immediate action from the international community at the beginning requesting (1) immediate release of the detainees under the National Security Law of Hong Kong; (2) European Parliament’s suspension on the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment; and (3) Taiwanese Parliament passing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Clause.
Electee of 2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries Sunny Cheung, who had left Hong Kong and devoted himself to international initiatives, indicated that the massive wave of arrests initiated by the CCP had rendered Hong Kongers an oppressive impasse that is unprecedented. Almost all pro-democracy figures were simultaneously rounded up, meaning that participating in the primary is no longer a simple act of participating in the democratic process of a democratic country, but an act of “subversion of the state”. This is a clear statement from the Beijing authority. The grasp will be increasingly tightened, and the local political situation in Hong Kong can only deteriorate monotonously.
Electee of Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries, Nathan Law, who currently resides in London in exile, indicated that Taiwan has exerted its support for Hong Kong in every sense. Whether inspired by the persistence of and sacrifices made by Taiwanese sages of democracy, or the solidarity and direct assistance of Taiwanese civil society and its government, these are the powers that fueled Hong Kongers to maintain their resilience in the darkness of authoritarianism.
Lai Chung-chiang, a lawyer and the convener of the Economic Democracy Union Think Tank, also mentioned that China had ignored condemnation from the international community, and initiated a ”legal Blitzkrieg” in the aim of suppressing Hong Kong’s forces of opposition. This wave of massive arrest is already the second “blitzkrieg” and is indeed an attack by China on the entire world’s democratic camp. Parallel to the blitzkrieg of the Nazis which challenged the European value on human rights, this second legal blitzkrieg of China is proposing a choice between honoring the value of human rights, or succumbing to short-term commercial interests of megacorporations.
Freddy Lim, legislator and the chair of the Taiwan Parliament Group For Hong Kong also reminded the people of Taiwan, that appeasing CCP’s suppression of democracy in Hong Kong is not acceptable. In democratic systems, parliamentary review of budgets, strict or loose, is a basic political right, which should not be regarded as a violation to the National Security Law. Lim added that he will continue to promote the Taiwanese version of the Magnitsky Act in the Legislative Yuan; Taiwan as a product of our historical trauma and experiences, have the duty to set a precedent in Asia, in the hope of forming consensus among other Asian countries.
Sang Pu, a lawyer and the chair of the Taiwan Hong Kong Association, said that in the foreseeable future, frequent political purges and repression will become the new normal, and more Hong Kongers will be subjected to prosecution, arrest, or the path to exile. An authoritarian “one country” cannot tolerate a democratic “two systems”. The Chinese authority under its ideology of heavenly mandate, will surely crush the freedom and rule of law of Hong Kong with its iron fist of dictatorship. China in the year 2021 is like the China we saw after 1949, arresting and quashing all those who oppose the CCP. This trend is also reflected in the fact that Hong Kong has now gradually sealing-off its internet access, similar to what China had done in 1950: prohibiting the flow of people and information.
The Secretary General of Taiwan Citizen Front Chiang Min-Yen described that China has been in the struggles on the competition on trade and technology in the past few years, and the Anti-extradition movement has raised the waves of resisting China around the world. Many policies and acts in favor of Hong Kong democracy and tackling the human rights abuses of China were introduced, and they had stroked the ambition of China’s expansion on authoritarianism. However, he worried about the transition of U.S. government is undergoing, and the upcoming Democrat government has not made a clear stand on its China issues; and the Chinese government and European Union have successfully signed the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, which promised the promotion of investment in telecommunication, cloud services, biomedical sciences and traffics. He mentioned that the resistance of Chinese authoritarianism from the world democracies seems to be weakened and under the threat of degradation.
In conclusion, he noted that the slacking off of the international community on concern of China’s human rights abuses has made great opportunity for China putting massive crackdown on Hong Kong. China is gradually taking the dominance of the Hong Kong situation, and will grasp all remained free space by the abuse of police power and political prosecution. Right now, China is attempting to alter the global trend of resisting China by eliminating the resistance in Hong Kong , and we have to keep our concern about Hong Kong, and the global community have to unite and act NOW to stop China.”
Hence, civil organizations had jointly convened this press conference, submitting these three appeals:
Therefore, we raise the below appeals:
1. The Chinese and Hong Kong governments shall immediately abolish the National Security Law, and release all detainees who are framed into the crimes of national security.
During the 709 Crackdown on human rights lawyers in China in July 2015, hundreds of human rights lawyers and human rights defenders were arrested and disappeared. Nowadays in Hong Kong, similar incidents of pro-democratic activists being arrested happen in order to mute the people in Hong Kong. Such disgusting conducts of putting terror on people as a way of governance are absolutely shameful.
The Chinese and Hong Kong governments are already notorious on their human rights records. They shall immediately abolish the National Security Law and other legal tools of persecution that severely go against rule of law, and release all detained local citizens and foreigners.
2. European Union and Parliament shall suspend and reconsider the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, and to confront the risk and negative impacts of National Security Law in EU-China investment and trade.
Although EU stated that the Agreement will follow the resolution of the EU Summit in October 2020, and stressed that the European countries are greatly concerned about the human rights situation in Hong Kong. The Agreement will also strictly apply the EU standards on labor to cope with the forced labor in East Turkistan (Xinjiang). However, it neither has clear response to the National Security Law, nor confronts the insanity of detention and crackdown under NSL in Hong Kong. The recent development of Hong Kong situation has shown that, China will keep rising its control on Hong Kong’s freedom and democracy if international community failed to keep pressuring against its human rights abuses; even so, EU insists to keep their economic ties with China regardless of the longstanding human rights standards of EU.
When EU incautiously signed the Agreement, it is a de facto encouragement on China’s continuous abuses on human rights, which has no benefit diplomatically and economically. Therefore, we request European Union to deliberately reconsider the Agreement, and the European Parliament to suspend the Agreement and look into the content once again. The Agreement would be meaningful only when China improve its human rights situation, carry out its promise of self-governance in Hong Kong, and include the necessary human rights clauses in the Agreement, so that the human rights will be protected when both sides gain profits.
3. The Taiwanese government shall implement the “Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Clause” and to upgrade the policies assisting Hong Kong into clear-cut legislation.
It is Taiwan’s unshirkable responsibility to support Hong Kong. We’re not only the geographically nearest country to Hong Kong, but also the ally resisting China together. However, although the government and civil society of Taiwan have already launched the asylum program for Hongkongers, the Taiwanese government still need to set up resources, to develop overall mechanisms, and to push the administration to save necessary momentum to cope with the rapid deterioration of Hong Kong situation and the pandemic, so that it’ll be able to adapt to the large number of urgent needs when the border is open.
Moreover, Taiwan shall consider to include itself in the global sanction against China from the democracies. The U.S. revoked the special status of Hong Kong in July 2020, has launched numbers of sanction against China, passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, and has banned some CCP officials to access to the United States. European Union passed the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy and is planning to implement further sanction against the human rights abusers of CCP. Taiwan shall catch up with the steps of the democratic allies, and build up its own act for Hong Kong human rights and democracy.
President Tsai Ing-wen has mentioned that the Art.60 of the Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macao Affairs might be used to suspend a part of or the full Law to revoke Hong Kong’s special status, if the situation keeps going down. However, while the situation is deteriorating, the support and aid from Taiwan to Hongkongers will be outstandingly critical. Therefore, the Taiwanese civil organizations and Hongkonger groups in Taiwan will jointly propose the bill of “Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Clause”, which is the amendment of the Art.60-1 of the Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macao Affairs. The regulation will require Administrative Yuan to report and evaluate on the Hong Kong situation annually, and draw up countermeasures. The clear legislation will further strengthen Taiwan’s policies to support Hong Kong.
｜Joint Civil Organizations:
Hong Kong Outlanders in Taiwan
Taiwan Association for Human Rights
Economic Democracy Union
Taiwan Citizen Front
Taiwan Hong Kong Association
New School for Democracy
Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy
Covenants Watch
Judicial Reform Foundation
｜PRESS CONFERENCE
Date: Friday, January 8th, 2021
Time: 09:00 – 10:00 am (GMT+8)
Venue: Room 101, Research Building, Legislative Yuan (No. 3-1, Jinan Rd. Sec. 1, Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City)
｜Speakers:
Nathan Kwun Chung Law | Former member of Legislative Council of Hong Kong (attending online)
Sunny Cheung | Electee of 2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries (attending online)
Freddy Lim | Member of Legislative Yuan
Lai Chung-chiang | Convener, Economic Democracy Union; Lawyer
Sang Pu | President, Taiwan Hong Kong Association
｜Host:
Chiang Min-Yen | Secretary General, Taiwan Citizen Front
｜Media Contact:
+886-937-169-222 Chiang Min-Yen | Secretary General, Taiwan Citizen Front
+886-912-545-542 Penghsuan Lee | Chair, Hong Kong Outlanders in Taiwan