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 UPDATE:

Wu Chi-wai, along with Joshua Wong and Tam Tak-chi, are still under arrest and we continue to demand their freedom.

Gwyneth and most of the other activists arrested on January 6 have been released. But while they have been release on bail and are no longer in police custody, they still face charges of subversion under the National Security Law. Their travel documents and electronic devices were confiscated. Consequently, we decided to change the petition's title.

We urge the relevant actors in the European Union and United states demand that Hong Kong drop all charges under the National Security Law. The release of the 53 activists alone is not sufficient if the threat of being convicted under the National Security Law persists.

 

Free Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam and all other activists arrested under the National Security Law

Early this morning, January 6, 2021, news reached us that our friend Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam who studied the Erasmus Mundus Master’s degree in "Journalism, Media and Globalisation" with us in Denmark and the Netherlands was arrested together with 52 other pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. They were detained under the National Security Law imposed by China in June 2020 because they participated in the unofficial primary elections for the Legislative Council in July 2020. All members of the pro-democracy camp were disqualified from the elections based on the same law. 

Despite the protesters knowing it was dangerous to run their candidacy and participate in these peaceful protests, they kept fighting for the democratic freedoms of the people of Hong Kong: “Even though we are concerned we also know that if we do not do something, if we do not resist the authoritarian rule there is no future for us to be concerned about,” Gwyneth told Al Jazeera. Now they are all paying with their own freedom.

Ever since the National Security Law was passed, the Chinese government has arrested and jailed activists and pro-democracy politicians arbitrarily and indiscriminately on a number of occasions. The mass arrest on 6th January is yet another attempt by the Beijing government to total subjugation of the Hong Kong people. However, running for office and exercising one’s political voice should not be seen as an act of subversion.

This is not the first time pro-democracy activism in Hong Kong has gotten the attention of the Chinese authorities. For years, pro-democracy protesters have gathered for a candlelight rally on the 4th of June to honor the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre. However, in 2020, the Hong Kong government banned this vigil – citing Covid-19 as their main reason – while shopping malls and other public places remained open. Several of those who chose to attend the vigil despite the ban were since summoned to attend a court hearing. The peaceful pro-democracy vigil was considered a subversion by the Chinese authorities.

Therefore, we demand the EU countries and the US government to:

• put pressure on the Hong Kong government to free Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam and the activists and lawyers imprisoned under the National Security Law in Hong Kong immediately, as they have the right to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly;
• put pressure on the Hong Kong government to give Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam and the other detainees fair treatment and the possibility to contact a lawyer and their families while being held in detention;
• demand transparent statements from the authorities regarding the events and the current legal situation of those imprisoned, as well as health conditions; and
• to think twice of the EU-China investment agreement and pay attention to the situation in Hong Kong.

Additionally, we urge the general public to speak up and take actions for Hong Kong.

Currently, the only information we have is from news reports and social media. We hope the arrested people are well and will be set free soon. Please sign this petition calling on the Hong Kong government to release them all.

 

– Gwyneth's friends and peers from the Mundus Journalism program