Title: A tightening grip: The rise of authoritarianism and the erosion of freedom in Hong Kong
a discussion featuring
Benedict Rogers
Chair of Trustees of Hong Kong Watch, UK
moderated by
YANG Jianli
President of Citizen Power Initiatives for China
Thursday, November 1, 2018
7:30PM-9:00PM
415 2ND Street, NE, Suite 100, Washington, DC 20002
(new office of Citizen Power Initiatives for China)
Media Are Welcome
Since the student-led pro-democracy protests of 2014, Hong Kong has experienced an unprecedented crackdown on its freedoms. Student protestors have been imprisoned, political candidates have been disqualified from running for election and legislators have been barred from the city’s legislature. Press freedom, academic freedom and the rule of law are all facing pressures in an atmosphere where Xi Jinping’s authoritarian rule increasingly limits freedom.
Benedict Rogers is the co-founder and Chair of Hong Kong Watch, a new advocacy organization established last year to speak up for Hong Kong’s freedom and the rule of law. On 11 October 2017, Ben was denied entry to Hong Kong upon arrival, on the orders of the Chinese government, an incident which drew international media attention.
Ben is also the East Asia Team Leader at the international human rights organization CSW, which works for freedom of religion or belief for all, co-founder and deputy chairman of the UK Conservative Party’s Human Rights Commission, co-founder of the International Coalition to Stop Crimes Against Humanity in North Korea, Senior Fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute, a trustee of the Chin Human Rights Organisation and the Phan Foundation, and a member of the advisory board of the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China.
He is the author of six books, and a regular contributor to international and national media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Catholic Herald, The Diplomat and The Huffington Post and has appeared on BBC, CNN, Sky, Al Jazeera and other television and radio stations. He has testified before the US Congress, European Parliament and British Parliament and is a regular speaker at conferences and universities.