12IILC: Day 3 Report 3: Australian MP Michael Danby’s Speech at the 2017 Citizen Power Award Ceremony
Day III Report (3) Australian MP Michael Danby’s Speech at the 2017 Citizen Power Award Ceremony Australian MP Michael Danby’s Speech at the 2017 Citizen Power Award Ceremony, the 12th InterEthnic/InterFaith Leadership Conference, Japanese Diet, Tokyo, Japan, Nov.16, 2017 Click here to watch MP Danby’s Speech Footage Firstly I would like to thank the Japanese Diet for hosting us here, and I would like to particularly like to thank Dr Yang and Initiatives for China, for organising this wonderful gathering of supporters of democracy in China, for all the minorities from all over the world. I’ve come a long way to be at this conference, and I am really glad that I did (come). To see all of the people from East Turkistan, Inner Mongolia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet- my dear friends from Tibet. Seeing all democrats of...
Read More12IILC: Day 3 Report 2: Citizen Power Award Ceremony at the Japanese Diet
Day 3 Report 2 Citizen Power Award Ceremony at the Japanese Diet Click Here for Award Ceremony Video Footage In the afternoon of November 16, the Conference participants went to the Japanese Diet for a tour and the presentation of the 2017 Citizen Power Awards, which was held in the First House of the House of Representatives. In addition to Conference participants, three Japanese MPs attended and spoke. Three outstanding figures in the struggle for human rights in China were given Citizen Power Awards this year: 1) Mr. Makino Seishu, 2) Professor Ilham Tohti, and 3) Ms. Wang Qiaoling (human rights activist and wife of human rights lawyer Li Heping). Mr. Enver Can, a Uyghur human rights activists and Chairman of the Ilham Tohti Initiative, delivered an acceptance speech on behalf of Ilham Tohti, and Ambassador Maysing Yang read...
Read More12IILC: Day 3 Report 1: Workshop: How to Use the Global Magnitsky Sanction Mechanism to Combat Human Rights Abusers
Day 3 Report 1 Workshop: How to Use the Global Magnitsky Sanction Mechanism to Combat Human Rights Abusers Click here to view the workshop footage Dr. Han Lianchao, Vice President of Initiative for China/Citizen Power for China, led the first installment of a two-part workshop on the one-year-old U.S. Global Magnitsky Act, focusing on the requirements of the Act and how Conference participants can develop cases involving Chinese officials based on either the corruption prong or the gross violations of human rights (GVHR) prong, and submit them to the US State Department and Department of Treasury for review for possible sanctions (including visa ban and freezing of assets). Dr. Han focused on the GVHR prong of the...
Read More12IILC: Day 2 Report 5: Workshops: Digital Security and UN Human Rights Mechanisms
Day 2 Report 5 Workshops: Digital Security and UN Human Rights Mechanisms Mr. Luo Shihong, a human rights activist based in Geneva, Switzerland, gave two training workshops in the late afternoon of: 1) Digital Security, and 2) UN Human Rights Mechanisms. 1. Digital Security In this very practical and important workshop, Mr. Luo explained to the participants the multiple ways they were likely vulnerable online, and concrete steps they could take to give themselves, their colleagues and partners, some added protection online. He gave an overview of the risks and how to add protection on multiple platforms used by most activists, from email to browsing and searches, to video calling and conferencing and messaging platforms. He emphasized that the most important thing was to have “safety consciousness,” i.e., to be aware of, and pay attention to, digital security and...
Read More12IILC: Day 2 Report 4: Documentary Film Showing and Discussion:
Day 2 Report 3 Documentary Film Showing and Discussion: Doris Liu, a filmmaker from Canada, showed her award-winning documentary, “In the Name of Confucius,” to the conference participants. The film looks at the battle over Confucius Institutes (CI) in Canada, specifically focusing on the personal story of a former CI teacher and Falun Gong practitioner, whose political asylum request to the Canadian government and complaint against the Toronto District School Board led to the first closure of a CI on a North American campus. Following on some of the themes from the morning’s speeches and discussion, the film explores China’s use of financial incentives and soft power abroad to export pro-Communist Party propaganda, and groom foreigners from an early age to be favorably disposed to the Chinese Communist Party and its version of history and events. Former Umbrella...
Read MoreMore than two months on, Hong Kong Immigration Director Ignores Questions About Benedict Roger’s Denial of Entry
Over two months after a formal letter was sent to Hong Kong’s Director of Immigration by solicitor Albert Ho, of Messrs Ho, Tse, Wai and Partners, enquiring into the reasons for Hong Kong’s denial of entry to British human rights activist Benedict Rogers, the Director of Immigration has said “we do not feel it necessary to deal with the specific assertions” and “will not comment on or disclose information relating to any individual case”. Albert Ho, acting on behalf of Benedict Rogers, wrote to the Director of Immigration on 19 and 24 October 2017, following the decision by Hong Kong authorities to deny Mr Rogers entry to Hong Kong on 11 October. In a reply dated 23 December, the Director of Immigration referred to his office’s previous replies to Mr Ho on 23 October and 22 November, but added...
Read MoreN e w B o o k
Petition: Finding 2 Tank Men
Please Sign on the Petition to Seek Truth About the Two Tiananmen Tank Men