The International Trade Union Confederation – Asia Pacific (ITUC-AP) strongly condemns the unjust imposition of charges by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) police against 47 former opposition lawmakers and pro-democracy activists, including Carol Ng, the Chairperson of Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), and Winnie Yu, Chair of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance (HAEA) under the People’s Republic of China’s National Security Law in Hong Kong.

Carol Ng and Winnie Yu are officially charged with subversion of state power for their participation in the primaries of the democrats to stand in the election of the Legislative Council cancelled last September. The case will be mentioned in the West Kowloon Magistrates Court today, 1 March 2021. If convicted, Carol Ng, Winnie Yu and other pro-democracy activists could be sentenced with life imprisonment.

Fifty-five pro-democracy activists were arrested on 6 January for allegedly subverting state power and 47 of them were proceeded for prosecution yesterday.   

Shoya Yoshida, the General Secretary of ITUC-AP, denounces this latest repressive act of the HKSAR government to silence pro-democracy voices. He said, “The sweeping Hong Kong National Security Law is clearly being used to curtail the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong."

The ITUC-AP urges the HKSAR government to respect and uphold the legally guaranteed rights and freedoms of Hong Kong citizens without fear of arrest and detention. We also demand the HKSAR government to drop all the charges against the pro-democracy activists and to release them immediately. 

Representing more than 60 million workers in the Asian and Pacific region, the ITUC-AP stands firmly with the people of Hong Kong and staunchly supports Carol Ng, Winnie Yu, and the other pro-democracy activists in defending their democracy and legitimately exercising their human rights.