Amnesty Int’l raises concern over immigration ban, Sulu suspension

Jose Noel Olano, section director, Amnesty International Philippines, displays a copy of the 2017-2018 human rights report

Amnesty International has released its latest human rights report with a small section mentioning the Macau government’s seemingly arbitrary decision to ban several Hong Kong journalists from entering Macau after last year’s typhoon Hato, as well as the process of suspending lawmaker Sulu Sou’s mandate in December.

The report, which is subtitled “The State of the World’s Human Rights,” attempts to shine a light on human rights violations across the world, documenting “the struggle of many people to claim their rights, and the failures of governments to respect, protect and fulfill human rights.”

It also documents success stories, “glimpses of hard-won progress, demonstrating that the defense of human rights does yield positive developments [… because of those] who continue to fight for change, sometimes risking their own lives in the process.”

The report mentions the disappearance of Lee Ming-cheh, a manager of a Taiwanese non-governmental organization, who was seized by state security officers when traveling to mainland China from Macau.

As for Hong Kong, Amnesty International highlights the police and judicial crackdown on the founders of the Occupy Central movement – namely Benny Tai, Chan Kin-man and Rev Chu Yiu-ming – who were charged with up to seven years’ imprisonment.

Meanwhile, police officers who assaulted a protester at the height of the movement were sentenced to a maximum of two years’ imprisonment – a sentence that provoked condemnation from mainland China for its perceived severity.

Another concern for Amnesty International was the disqualification of four elected pro-democracy legislators for failing to adequately take their oaths of office.

On the other hand, the report noted that progress has been made with regards to same-sex couples. In April, Hong Kong’s Court of First Instance ruled that the government’s refusal to extend work benefits to the same-sex husband of a civil servant constituted discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The Hong Kong SAR government is appealing the decision.