Inner Mongolian Official Falls to Death with Note Citing Pressure in Protecting Native Language, Husband Silenced by Domestic Security Police

33 year-old Inner Mongolian official Surnaa fell to her death from her residence on the early morning of 4 September. The police claimed that the ethnic Mongolian employee of the government of Alxa League had been suffering from depression, but a death note attributed to the deceased circulating on the Internet suggests that her death was related to the Mongolians’ ongoing movement to protect their native tongue.

Protests broke out recently in places including Tongliao City and Urad Middle Banner with Mongolian farmers and herdsmen resisting the authorities’ push for Mandarin as the medium of instruction. Over the past week, there have been reports of people mysteriously falling to their death during the protests. The authorities have blocked the information, leaving the names and the backgrounds of the deceased unknown.

Surnaa was the fourth person to have fallen to death since the demonstrations began. Her husband, Altanbagan, has confirmed the incident. Speaking to Radio Free Asia (RFA), Mongolian scholar and advocate of farmers’ and herdsmen’s rights Kubis confirmed that “a civil servant in Alxa League has committed suicide.” Another Mongolian said that “a Mongolian woman in Alxa League jumped to her death in protest of the government’s abolishment of the Mongolian language as the medium of instruction,” noting that “the details are still being verified.”

Source: Apple Daily #Sep05

#Surnaa
#PoliticalOppression #InnerMongolia #SouthernMongolia #Mongolian #Education #MotherTongue #Protest

https://bit.ly/35hjWri

#Interview #Save12 #HumanRights
“My law license has received its well deserved honour": Chinese civil rights lawyer representing the 12 pro-democracy HongKongers inside the high wall

Ren Quanniu has been a civil rights lawyer for 7 years in China. His appointees include members of Falun Gong, Zhao Wei, a legal assistant arrested in the 709 crackdown and Zhen Jianghua, a human rights activist accused of inciting subversion of state power.

Ren continued his work despite being arrested by police and his wife being beaten up. However, Ren never thought the case of the twelve Hong Kong pro-democracy youths would become the end of his career.

Continue reading our fully translated article here:
https://telegra.ph/Exclusive-Interview-with-Ren-Quanniu-the-mainland-Chinese-lawyer-representing-the-twelve-Hong-Kong-youths-inside-the-high-wall-M-04-01

Source：Stand News #Jan19

#RenQuanniu #HumanRightsLawyer #Honour #PoliticalOppression #ChineseCourt #Save12HKYouths

#PoliticalOppression #PressFreedom
2021 marks a sad milestone for Journalists in HK : Committee to Protect Journalists

In the Committee to Protect Journalists (#CPJ) annual report 2021, it revealed that the number of journalists jailed around the world had set another record in 2021, with #China remains the world’s worst jailer of journalists for the third year in a row, with 50 behind bars. 

As for Hong Kong, it said that 2021 "marked a sad milestone".

"For the first time journalists in the former British colony appear on CPJ’s annual survey of journalists unjustly imprisoned for their work. Eight. Zero to eight in one year."

READ FULL ARTICLE:
https://cpj.org/2021/12/hong-kongs-sad-media-milestone/

RELATED ARTICLE:
https://cpj.org/2021/12/attacks-on-the-press-in-2021/

The number of reporters jailed for their work hit a new global record of 293 in CPJ’s 2021 prison census, up from a revised total of 280 in 2020. Also so far in 2021, at least 24 journalists were killed as a result of their coverage.

#NationalSecurityLaw #FreedomOfSpeech #PressFreedom #JimmyLai #AppleDaily

Source : Committee to Protect Journalists; #Dec9

#Taiwan Condemns Hong Kong Authorities' Crackdown on #StandNews

On December 29, 2021, Taiwan's three major political parties all issued statements in response to Hong Kong Police's crackdown on Stand News, expressing their concern and condemnation.

Taiwan's ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party (#DPP), expressed "indignation and resentment" at the Hong Kong police's flagrant actions, searching media offices and arresting promoters of freedom and democracy. They consider these acts as strangling Hong Kong's freedom of expression and creating a chilling effect among media and public opinion. The DPP calls on the international community and Taiwan to continue observing Hong Kong's development.

The statement by New Power Party (#NPP) calls the actions by Hong Kong's national security police "disproportional", causing serious damage to the freedom of press, and effectively nullifies the rights laid out in the Basic Law: "Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of speech, of the press and of publication; freedom of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration; and the right and freedom to form and join trade unions, and to strike."

#Kuomintang, Taiwan's current opposition party, expressed deep concern that the authorities shut down a media company that spoke up for different public opinions and upheld principles of democracy, freedom, and human rights. They called on Chinese authorities to respect the younger generation's view of democratic values and freedom of speech. As Hong Kong had been the revolutionary headquarter of Dr Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of modern China, Hong Kong's democracy and freedom are deeply tied to the pursuit of democracy and freedom on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Source: Citizen News; Liberty Times #Dec29
https://www.facebook.com/366243453719070/posts/1618965958446807/

https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/3784313

#Media #PoliticalOppression #PressFreedom #Arrest #Regime #PoliceState #PoliticalProsecution

#PoliticalOppression
Lee Ming-che urges Hongkongers to fight for their freedom

A human rights activist, a community college administrator, and a former member of Taiwanese political parties including the Democratic Progressive Party (#DPP), Lee Ming-che was arrested by the Chinese government after he entered China via Macau on March 19, 2017.

Lee was sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly subverting state power. He was released on April 14 after finishing his prison sentence and returned to Taiwan the next day.

In Lee's interview with the Chaser News, he praised the wisdom of the pro-democratic frontline protesters in their fight against police brutality, which moves everyone on the scene.

This was the first time that Lee talked about the Anti-Extradition Bill movement in Hong Kong.

In his view, the movement showed collaboration between the sensible peace-loving protesters and those courageous frontline activists. During the time, he also saw solidarity inside and outside the Legislative Council. He was deeply impressed.

Walking out from political prosecution in China and regaining freedom, Lee is thankful to those who supported him both domestically and Internationally.

Lee stressed that he will carry on his work defending human rights and prisoners' rights.

Lee is hoping that his experience could help reveal the despicable acts of the Chinese Communist Party. He wanted to become one of the defenders of democracy globally.

Lastly, Lee shared words of encouragement to pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, “Freedom is always a war trophy than a present from the ruling power.”

Source: The Chaser News #May16

#PoliticalOppression #AntiExtraditionBill

https://publielectoral.lat/the_chaser_news/703