【VIDEO】 Benedict Rogers | Founder of Hong Kong Watch - "Hong Kong is the new frontline in the fight for freedom."
Benedict Rogers is a British human rights activist and the founder of Hong Kong Watch, a non-governmental organisation that monitors the conditions of human rights, freedoms and the rule of law in Hong Kong. Between 1997 and 2002 he worked as a journalist for the Hong Kong Standard and is the co-founder and deputy chairman of the UK Conservative Party’s human rights commission. In 2017, he was barred from entering Hong Kong by Chinese authorities.
“I believe that Hong Kong is truly unique, and Hongkongers have proven that all people desire democracy and freedom, no matter where they are in the world.”
My first-time visit to China was when I was 18, attending a summer school in Qingdao. Since then, I have always had a strong interest in China and Chinese affairs.
Being offered a job to be a journalist in Hong Kong was my dream, but at the time I didn’t know I would be there for five years — first at a business publication and then as a writer at the Hong Kong Standard[*1].
Hong Kong being a busy and dynamic city but home to a wide array of landscapes at the same time, such as the peaks and islands, is probably one of the key things I miss about my time there. You can live in one place and switch between exciting and lively, or quiet and relaxing. I would not want it to be one way or the other.
During the time I was living there, Hong Kong was also a hub for freedom in the region; a freedom I could use to speak out for and defend others who did not have such a privilege.
I never thought that almost 20 years later I would be protesting for freedom in Hong Kong itself.
Signs of Change
When I left Hong Kong in 2002, I believed that ‘one country, two systems’[*2] had remained largely intact, however, there were some subtle signs of self-censorship, particularly among journalists in the city.
Things became more apparent after my newspaper was bought by a company controlled by Charles Ho[*3], as shortly after I was the only member of the editorial team that had not been fired, although to this day I am still not sure why.
The new editor was blatantly pro-Beijing, and at that point, I realised I couldn’t stay much longer. I remember saying that while I had no qualms about praising the Beijing government when they did something right, I could not in good conscience write editorials blatantly supporting the government on everything.
At that point, I knew that it was time for me to return to the UK.
Dynamism and creativity
I have always noticed an extraordinary dynamism and creativity among Hongkongers. Be it people running a street stall, small businesses or tycoons building corporate empires, there has always been a spirit of entrepreneurship.
What I didn’t anticipate was just how much that spirit is now embedded within the city’s pro-democracy movement. Protestors have shown astonishing levels of courage and initiative.
Fundamental changes in 2014
Upon my return to the UK in 2002, I lost contact with the political situation in Hong Kong for several years, as I thought the human rights situation was relatively stable. However, when the Umbrella Movement[*4] began in 2014, I realised that something had fundamentally changed.
I began to speak out, I wrote articles and advocated to MPs in the UK parliament, and gradually I was also asked to organise visits and meetings for prominent figures in the movement such as Nathan Law[*5] and Joshua Wong[*6].
In the summer of 2017, around the 20th anniversary of the handover[*7], I met Anson Chan[*8] for the first time in London, but what shocked me was that despite being a significant figure in Hong Kong politics, she had no meetings scheduled with any senior British diplomats or politicians, despite having informed the Foreign Office of her visit.
It made me realise the disturbingly low level of awareness among both the British public and its politicians about the erosion of freedoms and democracy in Hong Kong, and that I would require organisational support to help bring more attention to the situation.
However, the need for a Hong Kong-focused human rights body crystallised for me in August 2017, just a few days before three of the prominent activists in the Umbrella Movement were jailed[*9].
At the time I was in Indonesia for work, more specifically, stuck in a traffic jam in the city of Surabaya. As in most Indonesian cities, traffic jams give you plenty of time to contemplate, during which I thought that “someone should say something, somebody should do something”.
That, in a nutshell, was the birth of Hong Kong Watch.
Barred from returning
I was never given a formal reason for why I was refused entry to Hong Kong in 2017, despite myself and others sending multiple letters to the city’s government.
It was only a personal visit to catch up with friends from my time living there, hardly a reason to ban me. Although, I did receive a phone call from a British MP who warned me that the Chinese government was concerned that I was planning to visit the imprisoned pro-democracy activists.
At the time, I was advised that I should make the trip anyway as many assumed that the decision would be made by Hong Kong immigration authorities rather than the Beijing government.
However, this proved not to be the case, and it was perhaps the first time I realised the extent to which the city’s independence had been eroded.
One particularly poignant moment was when I was escorted onto my flight out of Hong Kong, I turned to the immigration officer and asked, “Does this mean ‘one country, two systems’ is dying?”. While he did not answer directly, he replied somewhat emotionally, that it was a sad day for Hong Kong.
I still do not know my current status, but I imagine in present circumstances I will not be allowed to return.
The new frontline of freedom
I hope the day will come when I can return to Hong Kong, and I plan to do so as soon as it becomes feasible.
I want to go back not only to meet old friends but also those I have yet to see in person and whom I have engaged with as part of the movement.
Hong Kong is the new frontline in the fight for freedom. Hongkongers are continuing this fight not just for themselves but for the rest of us.
The actions of the regime under Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party show that they are already a threat to freedom in other nations; and if Hong Kong loses its liberties and way of life that will be a terrible fate for its people.
I believe that Hong Kong is truly unique, and Hongkongers have proven that all people desire democracy and freedom, no matter where they are in the world.
I too am a Hongkonger for two reasons. Firstly, Hong Kong was my home for five years.
Secondly, I am a Hongkonger in spirit, because I share their struggle for freedom.
My name is Benedict Rogers, and I am a HKer.
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[*1] The Hong Kong Standard, now known as The Standard (英文虎報) is an English free newspaper in Hong Kong
[*2] ‘One country, two systems’ is a principle used to describe how Hong Kong is governed since its was placed under Chinese rule in 1997
[*3] Charles Ho is a pro-Beijing Hong Kong businessman and chairman of Sing Tao News Corporation, which bought The Standard in 2001.
[*4] The Umbrella Movement was a series of sit-in protests that occurred in Hong Kong between 26 September to 15 December 2014
[*5] Nathan Law is a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and the founder and former chairman of the Demosistō political party
[*6] Joshua Wong is a student activist and secretary general of Demosistō. He is considered a figurehead of the Umbrella Movement and other pro-democracy efforts in Hong Kong
[*7] The ‘handover’ is when Hong Kong was transferred from British to Chinese rule on 1 July 1997
[*8] Anson Chan is the former chief secretary of Hong Kong and is an advocate of democracy and civil rights in the city
[*9] In August 2017, pro-democracy activists Nathan Law, Joshua Wong and Alex Chow were convicted and imprisoned on charges of unlawful assembly and other offences relating to their activities in the 2014 Umbrella Movement