BREAKING: Over 50 international human rights NGOs have come together to condemn transnational repression in a powerful joint statement!
On the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China’s founding, activists, advocates, and researchers across the world have come together to send a clear message:
No government should be allowed to silence, intimidate, or harass activists and communities fighting for freedom and human rights abroad.
From the bastions of the international human rights world like Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, and Amnesty International, to local chapters of diaspora groups, the international community has come together to show that the CCP’s transnational repression is in the spotlight, and we will fight back against it at every turn.
While the PRC celebrates 75 years of occupation, colonization, and genocide, Students for a Free Tibet and the Hong Kong Democracy Council are proud to have organized this critical effort to bring together our allies in our global fight for human rights and justice.
Read the full statement and learn more about this collective action—and the urgent need to stop transnational repression:
We stand together with dissidents against the long arm of authoritarian governments around the world. As organizations committed to protecting civil liberties, we, the undersigned, pledge to remain vigilant through education and advocacy to combat the growing threat of transnational repression.
In recent years, authoritarian leaders around the world have intensified their efforts to silence criticism and intimidate critics abroad. These heinous actions are designed to restrict human rights such as the freedoms of speech and expression, even in countries like the United States where these rights are typically safeguarded; they undermine the rule of law globally and threaten the integrity of democratic countries. As always, human-rights defenders and members of the media face the greatest danger, with women particularly vulnerable to additional gender-based violence in the context of transnational repression.
One disturbing example occurred on the streets of San Francisco in November 2023, when Hong Kong, Tibetan, Uyghur, and mainland Chinese protesters gathered to oppose the Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the APEC Summit. As documented by a recent report jointly published by the Hong Kong Democracy Council and Students for a Free Tibet — followed by a Washington Post investigation — harassment, intimidation, surveillance, and physical violence were orchestrated by groups affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party. Even consular personnel were seen on the ground. We urge the U.S. State Department to consider elevating this as a diplomatic incident and the Justice Department to consider bringing federal charges against those who were responsible. Congress should likewise consider passing relevant new legislation to deter future episodes.
Moving forward, we will continue to collaborate with affected communities to raise public awareness of the tactics employed by governments that extend their reach abroad. We will persist in highlighting instances where authoritarian states and their non-state allies engage in these activities. We will develop and strengthen mechanisms that identify perpetrators responsible for transnational repression. Most importantly, with the urgency and gravity that this issue demands, we will make transnational repression a priority in our discussions with policymakers to encourage a strong, robust response.
We will always support individuals on the receiving end of transnational repression.
Signatories:
International Nonprofit Organizations
- Alliance of Democracies Foundation
- Amnesty International USA
- ARTICLE 19
- Freedom House
- Human Rights Foundation
- Human Rights Watch
- International Service for Human Rights
- International Tibet Network
- Safeguard Defenders
- World Liberty Congress
Advocacy and Community Organizations
- Anti China Expansion Movement
- Arizona for Hong Kong
- Blossom Community HK CIC
- Bonham Tree Aid
- Canada-Hong Kong Link
- China Aid Association
- Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP
- Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation
- DAWN
- DC4HK
- Democracy for Hong Kong
- Ensaaf
- Freiheit für Hongkong
- Friends of Falun Gong
- Fundacíon para la Libertad de Nicaragua
- Germany Stands with Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Affairs Association of Berkeley
- Hong Kong Aid 港援
- Hong Kong Forum, Los Angeles
- Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor
- Hong Kong Outlanders in Taiwan
- Hong Kongers in San Francisco Bay Area
- Hongkongers in Britain
- HongKongers in Leeds
- Hong Kong Watch
- Lady Liberty Hong Kong
- Lamp of Liberty
- Le Comité pour la Liberté à Hong-Kong
- Manchester Stands With Hong Kong
- New Yorkers Supporting Hong Kong
- Northern California Hong Kong Club
- Sam Yan Press
- Scottish Hongkongers
- Southampton HongKongers
- Students for a Free Tibet – India
- Taiwan Hong Kong Association
- Taiwanese American Federation of Northern California
- Tibet Initiative Deutschland
- Toronto Association for Democracy in China
- US HongKongers Club 美國香港人會館
- Vancouver Activists of Hong Kong
- Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement
- Victoria HongKongers Association (Australia)