“One Country, Two Systems” Framework Dismantled by Beijing
06/30/2020 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Beijing’s top legislative body unanimously passed a sweeping national security law for Hong Kong today. Chinese President Xi Jinping subsequently signed the measure into law.
The bill was approved by 2,878 votes to one, and six abstentions, on May 28 by China’s National People’s Congress (NPC), and submitted for the first deliberation to the NPC’s Standing Committee. The new law, unanimously adopted by the Committee’s 162 members today, will be incorporated into Hong Kong’s Basic Law, and enforced on July 1, the 23rd anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain.
Any action seen as an act of subversion, secession, terrorism, or foreign interference can now be tried by a special agency set up by Beijing, along with a special police force established to investigate security cases and collect intelligence.
Beijing’s latest move has been widely criticized as a blow to the “One Country, Two Systems” framework agreed upon by China and the United Kingdom in 1997 during the handover of Hong Kong, allowing the city to enjoy distinct political, socioeconomic, and legal arrangements for the next 50 years.
Local Christian groups, including Christians for Hong Kong Society, Hong Kong Christian Fellowship of Social Concern, and The Peace and Justice Commission of Hong Kong Diocese, are among the 86 human rights and social justice organizations that penned an open letter on June 16 to Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the NPC, demanding that the law not be passed.
Many Christian clergy and activists could fall under the vague terminology of the law if their activities are seen as acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security.
Christian activist Joshua Wong, one of the founders of the pro-democracy group Demosisto, announced his withdrawal from the group, hours after the law’s passage, citing his concerns that under the newly-passed national security legislation, it was no longer “nonsense” for pro-democracy figures to worry about their lives and personal safety. The 10-year “political imprisonment,” as well as extradition to China, could cost them their freedom. He said, “No one could be sure [what would happen] tomorrow.”
Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, said, “ICC condemns the Chinese government for imposing a sweeping security law that strips away the autonomy and freedoms of Hong Kong. Xi Jinping’s regime has done nothing but erode Hong Kong’s human rights and justice since he took office in 2012. Come tomorrow, Beijing will employ this security law, which bypassed Hong Kong’s own Legislative Council, to criminalize any Hong Kong citizen who is considered to be a troublemaker to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It is time now for the international community to stand in solidarity with Hong Kong and take necessary measures to punish the CCP.”
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06/05/2020 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Fulani militants again attacked the Adara natives in Kajuru LGA, Kaduna State, Nigeria. The attack on the Christian village took place while many were still mourning the loss of loved ones, property, and their means of livelihood following a series of coordinated attacks on at least five villages and 12 settlements over the past month.
The militants launched this most recent attack on Tudu-Doka Avong along Kaduna-Kachia road, killing nine people and injuring several others. Confirming the incident, a community representative, Usman Stingo, said, “It happened at about 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. The gunmen arrived [at] the village and started shooting sporadically. They entered into some homes and burnt household stuff. The situation is very, very pathetic.”
Those killed in the latest attack include Kefas Yusuf (30), Richard Yusuf (25), Fidelis Wada (40), Kachia Simon (30); Rose Soja (39), Genesis Soja (11), Rahap Soja (9), Victoria Gyata (50), and Lovette Akayi (10).
Further confirming the attack, the Kaduna State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Joseph Hayab, said, “Nine persons were killed, including women and children. The photos are not good to look at. The mood in the entire Kajuru area is gloomy. People are living in fear.”
The CAN chairman further disclosed that some pastors were also affected in the recent attacks and are suffering in silence. He, however, acknowledged good-spirited individuals who are assisting with food distributions to help the displaced, but lamented that the need is very large. He expressed concern with the attitude of the government, saying, “The government seems to be living in pretense and looking away from the colossal impact of the attacks on the population.”
The recent attacks on the Adara communities spreading across Kajuru and Kachia local council areas in southern Kaduna impacted approximately 537 households with approximately 20,000 people displaced.
ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Nathan Johnson, stated, “Kajuru Local Government Area has now been attacked nearly a dozen times in the past month. Despite this, the government has not taken any clear or decisive steps to stop the violence. They have not caught any of the perpetrators, saved any lives, or assisted any of those who have suffered. This continued inaction is costing many people their lives, homes, and loved ones. It is time that the government in Nigeria is held accountable for the many lives that they have failed to defend. They are either completely incompetent and must be removed, or they are complicit and need to be thrown in jail.”
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