Japan Press Weekly

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2020 December 2 - 8 TOP3 [WORLD]

Shii calls for immediate release of 3 Hong Kong democracy activists

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on December 3 at a press conference commented on the jailing of three Hong Kong democracy activists which was carried out immediately after sentencing. He called for their immediate release.

Shii said, “The act of punishing the three activists for just organizing and participating in a peaceful protest is outrageous. Such an act is totally unacceptable,” and expressed his solidarity with Hong Kong citizens agitating for freedom and democracy in a peaceful manner.

Shii also pointed out that this issue constitutes a breach of China’s international commitment to the “One country, Two systems” formula as well as a violation of international human rights instruments, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Human Rights, and the Vienna Declaration. He stressed, “It is important for the international community to take a firm stance to confront this issue.”

Shii said, “What is important is to put diplomatic pressure on China to refrain from conducting lawless acts by expanding global demands such as, ‘China should abide by international law and the UN Charter!’ and ‘Accept the rule of law!’” He expressed his determination to work hard to achieve this.

Shii criticized the Japanese government for taking a lax attitude toward the three activists’ prison sentence. He made this criticism when asked to comment on a remark by Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu. The Suga government spokesperson at his regular briefing on the day remarked that the Japanese government is much concerned about the impact of the three activists’ imprisonment on Hong Kong people’s right to freedom of speech, association, and assembly and will closely watch the situation.

Shii said, “The Japanese government has been adopting a wait-and-see stance toward China’s response to the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. It should lodge a serious protest against China’s act of violating international treaties and its international commitments.”

Past related article:
> JCP again demands immediate end to human-rights suppression in Hong Kong [August 12, 2020]