Fear and censorship erode freedom in Hong Kong

A report released this week found that Hong Kong’s 2020 National Security Law has eroded academic freedom in the former British colony. Human Rights Watch and the Washington-based advocacy organization Hong Kong Democracy Council co-authored the study.

It said university authorities have imposed greater control and limitations on student activities. Faculty members and students also exercise self-censorship to “avoid getting into trouble,” the report pointed out, adding:

Students, academics, and administrators, especially those from Hong Kong studying contemporary socio-political issues, feel as if they are living under a microscope.

Analysts said the opaque definition of what constitutes a ‘violation of the security law’ has created a chilling effect at Hong Kong universities. Maya Wang, the associate China director at Human Rights Watch, told Voice of America:

When the red line isn’t clear, there will be a pervasive sense of fear, and students and faculty members will try to make adjustments to ensure they don’t get into trouble.

Banned symbols

The study also revealed that Hong Kong’s eight public universities are being managed by people who hold views favored by Beijing following the imposition of the 2020 law. 

Since then, university officials have increased crackdowns on student unions and banned symbols or events viewed as promoting pro-democracy values. The report said:

University officials have punished students for holding peaceful protests and gatherings, and have broadly censored student publications, communications, and events.

Wang at Human Rights Watch stressed that since many college students and academics were involved in the 2019 protests, one of the Chinese government’s priorities was to “impose ideological control.” 

“The decline of academic freedom in Hong Kong’s universities is part of Beijing’s attempt to impose ideological control over the entire city,” she told VOA.

Most of the 33 students and academics interviewed for the report said self-censorship is a common practice, especially on socio-political topics related to China and Hong Kong. The study added:

They do this when expressing themselves in classrooms when writing and researching academic articles, and when inviting speakers for academic conferences. 

Academics teaching Hong Kong and China current affairs feel “especially vulnerable,” the report said. In some cases, university officials have asked academics in the social science field to stop offering courses on topics that Beijing considers sensitive. 

Others face censorship imposed by university administrators or academic publishers. The prevalence of self-censorship in Hong Kong will reduce international understanding of the dynamics in China.

Lokman Tsui, a research fellow at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab and a former journalism professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told VOA:

[It] was always an important space that gives the international community some insight into what’s happening in Hong Kong and the broader China, but that space is now rapidly disappearing.

Harass, intimidate

But the law’s negative impact on academic freedom in Hong Kong seems to differ between academics in different fields. The report added:

Some said [the National Security Law] affected everything they do; others said it has very little impact.

Since university management is stacked with supporters of Beijing’s position, the report said administrators have worked with Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to harass, intimidate, or even remove academics voicing different opinions. The study confirmed:

The government does that by defaming and intimidating those academics perceived to hold liberal or pro-democracy views in the state-owned media and denying or not issuing visas to foreign academics expressing such opinions.

Universities would then fire, let go, or deny tenure to these academics, the report added.

Human Rights Watch and Hong Kong Democracy Council said the Chinese government’s efforts to “cleanse” the city’s universities have led to a “harmonization” of opinion in academia.

They also help amplify Chinese and Hong Kong authorities’ claim that pro-democracy voices are now “in the minority.” Again, the report pointed out:

The Chinese government’s overall intention has been to ‘cleanse’ the universities [and] the result is a sanitized version of higher education compliant with [China’s ruling Communist] Party’s views, which so far continues to deliver a high-caliber education.

Tsui at Citizen Lab said since Hong Kong passed a separate national security law called Article 23 in March, authorities will likely continue the crackdown on academic freedom.

“In addition to the criminalization of speech, the authorities are also targeting foreign funding of academic research, so they haven’t emptied the glass yet,” he told VOA. Voice of America contacted the Hong Kong government for comment but did not receive a reply by publication.

Yet, last year, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said in a social media post that excellent education infrastructure, world-renowned universities, and talented researchers were all key to turning the city into “an international hub for post-secondary education.”

Academics targeted

In the post, he vowed to study how to utilize the “unique status and advantages of the One Country, Two Systems” to attract the best talents from all over the world to Hong Kong.

Since some universities in the city have a large number of joint research projects and exchange programs with universities abroad, Human Rights Watch’s Wang said foreign universities should be aware of the repression that is taking place.

At the same time, they should try to provide support for Hong Kong students and academics being targeted by the authorities. Wang added:

Foreign universities should avoid elevating the repressive actors and provide scholarships or fellowships to endangered Hong Kong students and academics to ensure they could continue to do their research outside of Hong Kong without fear.

William Yang is a correspondent for Voice of America based in Taiwan.

This edited article is republished courtesy of Voice of America. Read the original article here.

The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the official policy of China Factor.