NEW YORK – Rule of law in Hong Kong is under attack, and citizens are being arbitrarily arrested for peacefully protesting, or even just passing by protest sites. Johnson Yeung, a 28-year-old campaigner and human rights advocate, is just one of the many recent victims of unlawful arrest and detention in Hong Kong.
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has submitted an individual complaint to the United Nation Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to bring international scrutiny to this case, in which the Hong Kong government violates multiple international human rights standards.
“Yeung’s arrest is just one of thousands that occurred during the 2019 Anti-Extradition Law Protests. Although Yeung is free today on bail, we must not forget the hundreds of brave young protesters who are still imprisoned in Hong Kong,” said HRF senior legal associate Roberto González. “The submission of Yeung’s case should serve as a warning to the Hong Kong government that their ongoing arbitrary arrests of pro-democracy activists will not end with impunity.”
Yeung has been an active participant in civil rights campaigns and protests in Hong Kong for years. In 2014, he played a significant role as one of the organizers of the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement, a two-and-a-half month long campaign and nonviolent pro-democracy occupation involving hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents. He is currently the chairperson for Hong Kong Civil Hub, and is an HRF Freedom Fellow.
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This legal action is an initiative of HRF’s Hong Kong Desk, a project to raise global awareness on Hong Kong human rights issues and to hold human rights abusers accountable in international semi-judicial bodies. Learn more about or donate to the Hong Kong Desk here.