We are Hongkongers 我們係香港人

An historic moment: Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act one step from becoming US law
By Kris Cheng

US legislation aimed at protecting civil rights in Hong Kong and punishing those deemed responsible for suppressing freedoms has reached its final stage ahead of being enacted.

After the US Senate passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act unanimously on Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to pass the Senate’s version on Thursday.

It was passed by 417 to 1, with Republican representative Thomas Massie being the only one voting in opposition.
The act will now be sent to US President Donald Trump for him to sign. 

Trump is expected to sign the legislation rather than veto it, according to Bloomberg citing an unnamed person familiar with the matter.


Nancy Pelosi
✔@SpeakerPelosi
The U.S. Senate has now joined the House of Representatives in passing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. The people of #HongKong have woken up to the news that both branches of the U.S. Congress stand with you in your fight for democracy and the rule of law.
45.4K
03:04 - 20 Nov 2019

The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act will sanction officials considered to be harming human rights and freedom in Hong Kong. 

It will also require the US Secretary of State to certify whether Hong Kong continues to warrant special treatment after considering how well the city can make autonomous decisions relating to human rights, law enforcement and other areas.
Large-scale protests in Hong Kong, initially over a now-withdrawn extradition agreement proposal with mainland China, have entered their 25th week. 

The demonstrations have morphed into wider calls for democratic reform and accountability for alleged police brutality.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the strongest advocate for the act, said during the debate: “Today, the Congress is sending an unmistakable message to the world that the United States stands in solidarity with freedom-loving people of Hong Kong, and they – we fully support their fight for freedom.”
Senator Marco Rubio, who first proposed the act, said it is now one signature away from becoming law.
“A powerful moment in which a united, bipartisan coalition made it clear that we #StandWithHongKong,” he tweeted.
The House also passed another Senate bill, the Protect Hong Kong Act, which bans the export of crowd-control weapons such as tear gas and rubber bullets to the Hong Kong police.
China has expressed its opposition to the US Congress passing the act through multiple channels, including through statements from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, among others.

China's crimes against humanity

US Senate presses sanctions on China's treatment of Uighurs

AFP

More than one million mostly Muslim ethnic minorities have been rounded up into concentration camps in the tightly-controlled northwest colony, home to China's Uighur population.

WASHINGTON -- The US Senate has approved a Bill to press China on its treatment of Uighurs, requiring the US government to closely monitor the mass incarceration of the community and consider punishment of those responsible.
The Senate unanimously approved the so-called Uighur Human Rights Policy Act late Wednesday. It still needs passage by the House of Representatives, which is highly likely as the Bill enjoys wide bipartisan support.
The act would require US intelligence to produce a report within six months on the crackdown in East Turkestan, the western colony where as many as one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities are being held in concentration camps.
It would also establish a State Department special coordinator on East Turkestan and ask the FBI to assess reports of harassment by China of US citizens and residents of Uighur heritage.
The Bill also asks Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to consider sanctions on Chinese officials behind the policy, notably Chen Quanguo, the Communist Party chief for East Turkestan.
"It's long overdue for the United States to hold the Chinese government and Communist Party officials accountable for the systemic and egregious human rights abuses and crimes against humanity in East Turkestan," said Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican ally of Trump who co-sponsored the resolution.
The Trump administration has repeatedly criticised China, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently calling Beijing's treatment of Uighurs one of the "worst stains on the world."
But activists say that US actions have gone little beyond statements at a time that Trump is embroiled in multiple feuds with China, most notably on trade.
Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat who co-sponsored the Bill with Rubio, said the measure showed that the United States was not turning a blind eye even though the Trump administration "has not seen fit to make the tragic situation in East Turkestan a priority."
Rights groups and witnesses accuse China of forcibly trying to draw Uighurs away from their Islamic customs and integrate them into the majority Han culture.
After initially denying their existence, Beijing now defends the camps, which it calls "vocational education centers."