Wednesday July 13 marked the fifth anniversary of the passing of Liu Xiaobo, the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Representatives from Amnesty International Canada, Alliance Canada Hong Kong (ACHK) and the Toronto Associations for Democracy in China (TADC) laid a wreath at the Liu Xiaobo Empty Chair Memorial installed at the front lawn of Amnesty’s Ottawa headquarters.
7月13日量期三是劉曉波逝世5周年紀念日。《多倫多支持中國民運會》前會長關卓中專程前往渥太華，與《加拿大國際特赦》及 Alliance Canada Hong Kong 的代表於《劉曉波空座椅紀念碑》前獻花，悼念這位至死為推動中國民主而奮鬥的諾貝爾和平獎得主。
Wednesday July 13 marked the fifth anniversary of the passing of Liu Xiaobo, the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Representatives from Amnesty International Canada, Alliance Canada Hong Kong (ACHK) and the Toronto Associations for Democracy in China (TADC) laid a wreath at the Liu Xiaobo Empty Chair Memorial installed at the front lawn of Amnesty’s Ottawa headquarters.
Writer, literary critic, human rights activist and philosopher, Liu fought fearlessly for freedom and democracy in China. He was prevented from attending the Nobel award ceremony in Oslo, Norway that year. An empty chair was put on stage to mark his absence. Liu died in prison in 2017.
“The memorial honours the indomitable spirit of this great human rights defender,” said Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General, Amnesty International Canada (English branch). “It also serves to remind us of the deteriorating human rights situation in China and Hong Kong.”
“Freedom of expression is the foundation of human rights,” said Cheuk Kwan, past chair of the Toronto Association for Democracy in China, pointing to the quote by Liu Xiaobo engraved on the memorial. “Thousands of people in Hong Kong have been imprisoned for expressing their political views.”
Since the implementation of the draconian National Security Law (NSL) in 2020, Hong Kong has become the city in Asia with the most political prisoners after Myanmar.
A report by the Hong Kong Democracy Council noted that “these political prisoners are just ordinary citizens from all walks of life: students, teachers, union members, journalists and lawyers. More than half of them are 25 years or younger.”
“Hong Kong had served as an important window for the global community to monitor the developments inside China,” Cherie Wong, Alliance Canada Hong Kong’s executive director, noted. “Journalists and activists there once enjoyed the freedom of expression. But for the past two years, this freedom has been systematically eroded.”
While remembering the passing of Liu Xiaobo, Kwan urged the international community to pay attention to the dire human rights violations in China and in Hong Kong. “Let us not forget those who have paid a steep price for Hong Kong. While we enjoy our freedom here in Canada, we must continue to fight hard for theirs.”
Photograph of Cheuk Kwan, Cherie Wong, Ketty Nivyabandi (from left) at the Empty Chair Memorial
7月13日量期三是劉曉波逝世5周年紀念日。《多倫多支持中國民運會》前會長關卓中專程前往渥太華，與《加拿大國際特赦》及 Alliance Canada Hong Kong 的代表於《劉曉波空座椅紀念碑》前獻花，悼念這位至死為推動中國民主而奮鬥的諾貝爾和平獎得主。
國際特赦總幹事 Ketty Nivyabandi 表示：「豎立在國際特赦總部門前的劉曉波紀念碑不但永誌這位人權鬥士的不朽精神，更切切實實提醒我們在中國和香港日益惡劣的人權狀況！尤其是香港，在《國安法》實施僅僅兩年後，民主、自由、法治和公民社會相繼淪陷，香港這個以自由著稱的國際金融中心，今天僅次於緬甸，成為亞洲最多政治犯的城市！」
ACHK 執行董事王卓妍指出：「香港一直是讓國際社會去關注中國發展的重要門户，記者和社運人士曾經可以自由地向中央政府表達不同的觀點。隨著嚴苛的《國安法》和持續的政治鎮壓，香港的言論自由已被港共政權用種種手段去剝奪。 就讓我們繼續捍衛言論自由與保護人權來向劉曉波致敬。」
本會前主席關卓中特别提到刻在空座椅紀念碑上劉曉波一句重要遺言：【表達自由乃人權之基】。他引述美國港人組織《香港民主委員會》(HKDC) 最近所發表研究報告指：「香港現今有數千人為了表達自己的政治理念而被捕入獄，『未審先囚』的情況普遍。自2019年6月香港『反送中』示威開始，至香港《國安法》生效後，有千多名示威者、異見人士和政治領袖等被判刑，變成政治犯。他們只是普通公民，除了學生、老師、還有工會成員、新聞從業員和律師等，其中超過一半在25歲或以下。」
所以，關卓中希望藉著悼念劉曉波這位世所推崇的人權鬥士，繼續呼籲國際社會關注中國及香港嚴重倒退的人權狀況！他更提醒加拿大的香港移民、尤其透過救生艇計劃及尋求政治庇護得以到來的新一代：「不要忘記為香港付上沉重代價的政治犯，當我們在加拿大得享自由，就要為他們重獲自由而努力！」
相片為關卓中，王卓妍，Ketty Nivyabandi （左起）於空座椅紀念碑前。