On International Human Rights Day, the ITUC-Asia Pacific joins the international trade union movement in calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Lee Cheuk-yan, former Chair of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) and a respected trade union leader and lifelong defender of democracy in Hong Kong.
Lee Cheuk-yan was imprisoned on charges stemming from organising peaceful demonstrations in 2019 to demand universal suffrage and democracy in Hong Kong. While still in jail, authorities imposed an additional charge of “inciting subversion of state power” under the People’s Republic of China’s National Security Law in Hong Kong. This charge was connected to his position as Vice-Chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China (HK Alliance), which the Hong Kong government alleged as a “foreign agent”. The HK Alliance had, for more than three decades, organised Hong Kong’s annual commemoration of the victims of the Tiananmen massacre.
Lee’s imprisonment has become emblematic of the rapidly shrinking civic space in Hong Kong, where independent trade unions, civil society organisations, and human rights defenders have faced unprecedented pressure under the National Security Law and related measures.
Shoya Yoshida, ITUC-Asia Pacific General Secretary, said:
“Human rights must be defended, not criminalised. When peaceful civic and political actions are treated as crimes, it is democracy itself that is put on trial. The detention of Lee Cheuk-yan is a stark reminder of the urgent need to defend democracy and human rights wherever they are under attack.”
International Human Rights Day, which marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, highlights the global commitment to protecting fundamental freedoms. However, the situation in Hong Kong continues to raise serious concerns, particularly regarding the suppression of peaceful assembly, freedom of association, and freedom of expression – rights essential to the functioning of independent trade unions and democratic societies.
As the global community observes Human Rights Day, the ITUC-Asia Pacific underscores that the situation in Hong Kong demands urgent international attention. Shoya Yoshida added:
“Lee Cheuk-yan’s courage inspires our movement. His struggle is the struggle of every worker who believes in rights and freedom. When one trade unionist is attacked, the entire international trade union movement stands up. We will not relent until Lee and all those imprisoned for defending democracy are free.”
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