Statement on Enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law
On June 30, the Hong Kong government enacted and put into force the “Hong Kong National Security Law” that strengthens the central government’s control of Hong Kong. It is now possible to crack down on a wide range of actions that are deemed counter to the Chinese government’s policies. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment. For “serious situations,” the central government has established a new security maintenance agency in Hong Kong that will be directly involved in compulsory investigation, enabling trials and enforcement of sentences in mainland China.
Twenty-seven countries, including Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, have issued a joint statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council demanding that China reconsider its heavy-handed “National Security Law.”
The international community must not allow the Chinese government to escalate this disregard for human rights.
Since its founding in 1998, Life Funds for North Korean Refugees (LFNKR) has continued to work for the relief of North Korean refugees and has rescued more than 200 defectors so far.
A major barrier to rescue efforts has been the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors by Chinese authorities. Even though China is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, an international law, and defectors are recognized as refugees, the Chinese authorities are cracking down on the defectors more harshly than ever.
Not only do they mercilessly detain the defectors, but also the relief workers associated with them. In fact, two of LFNKR’s own senior staff members also endured hardship in the past when they were detained during relief operations in China.
As an NGO working to promote human rights and humanity, and as a member of ICNK (the International Coalition to Stop Crimes Against Humanity in North Korea), LFNKR strongly urges all relevant governments, international organizations, and NGOs never to give up but to maintain ever-stronger cooperation and to continue to speak out against the Chinese government in order to ensure that it “behaves in a manner that respects basic human rights.”
July 5, 2020
Life Funds for North Korean Refugees (LFNKR)