Human rights organisation Amnesty International has opened a new Hong Kong office based overseas led by diaspora activists following its exit from the city in 2021, in what the group described as its first section operated entirely “in exile”.
The NGO announced on Tuesday that Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas would be led by the city’s activists based in jurisdictions such as Taiwan, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States – many of which have welcomed thousands of Hongkongers in recent years.
“The opening of Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas marks a new chapter in the organisation’s strengthened commitment to human rights in Hong Kong and its support for the Hong Kong diaspora around the world,” said Luk Chi-man, executive director of the new office.
The new office would be focused on Hong Kong issues but operate outside the city due to the “shrinking space for civil society and freedom of expression in Hong Kong,” the organisation said.
Officially registered in Switzerland, the opening also marked what the advocacy group called its first section operated entirely “in exile.”
The new office’s board members include former opposition lawmaker Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung and activist Joey Siu Nam. Siu is among 19 wanted overseas activists accused of violating the national security law and slapped with HK$1 million (US$128,900) bounties.