Hong Kong convicts labour leader, several others
A court in Hong Kong convicted Lee Cheuk Yan, General Secretary of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), and several others for organising and taking part in a democracy rally deemed illegal by the Chinese Special Administrative Region’s National Security Law.
BWI condemned the convictions calling it “political persecution disguised as prosecution.”
“We stand in solidarity with Lee Cheuk Yan and all those who have been unjustly convicted for simply exercising their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of association and expression,” BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson said.
“This is persecution, not judicious prosecution. It is a mockery of the justice system as it criminalises and punishes actions duly protected by international human rights law and labour conventions,” Yuson asserted.
BWI called on the Hong Kong government to reverse the unjust convictions and dismiss all the baseless charges filed against other democracy advocates, including trade unionists.
“We urge the government of Hong Kong to fully commit to the obligations as mandated by the international labour and human rights conventions it agreed into. We also call on Hong Kong to amend its National Security Law to comply with international human and labour right standards, such as International Labour Convention (ILO) No. 87 on freedom of association. Unjust laws have no place in modern democracy,” Yuson said.