The Diplomat Criticizes Hong Kong’s Democracy Unrecognizable

According to a June 22 report by Taiwan media, a U.S.-based news magazine, The Diplomat recently published an article on its website, saying that Hong Kong’s democracy and freedom have become riddled with problems after 25 years since the handover of sovereignty to the Chinese Communist Party and two years since the implementation of the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law.

The article points out that Hong Kong, which has been abused by the National Security Law, is drifting away from freedom. Independent, pro-democracy media have all been dwindled into nothing after the implementation of the National Security Law. In the last 12 months alone, seven more Chinese language media outlets have been forced to close. The persecution of the press by the Communist Hong Kong government has caused about 20 percent of Chinese language media practitioners to lose their jobs and at least 12 journalists to be tried for incitement.

The article also reveals that since June 2020, the number of prisoners of conscience arrested in Hong Kong for so-called “national security reasons” has increased to 183, and the number of political prisoners has exceeded 1,000. Radio Television Hong Kong, once trusted and respected by the public, has become a mouthpiece of the Hong Kong government. In addition, the Chinese Communist authorities have stepped up Internet surveillance in Hong Kong, with eight websites currently being blocked and a documentary on the Times Revolution banned for allegedly violating national security laws.

At the same time, the Communist authorities have forced people to register their cell phone cards with their real names, banned the annual June 4 memorial party in Victoria Park, removed the “Pillar of National Mourning” and banned coverage of the June 4 pro-democracy movement. In the past two years, the human rights situation in Hong Kong has been deteriorating, and democracy advocates in Hong Kong have no choice but to go to jail or go into exile. Therefore, the article calls on the governments of democratic countries to do what they can to help those who have fled Hong Kong.