Thank you.
Honourable members of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights and colleagues, good afternoon.
I am here presenting this testimony on behalf of my organization, Journalists for Human Rights, based on our 20-year global record of defending human rights in the most difficult and challenging environments, working with courageous journalists and civic actors to stand against oppression, marginalization and instability and, most importantly, to hold governments to account.
At JHR, we have been dealing with various oppressive power structures and the mechanisms that enable their tactics to silence the pro-human rights and democratic voices. In the context of today's testimony, we have monitored the actions of the Government of China in mainland China, in the special administrative regions—SARs—and in neighbouring countries across the Indo-Pacific: actions within a holistic strategy to silence opposing voices, crush democratic spaces and manipulate facts and truths.
If the collapse of the Soviet Union has provided authoritarian regimes in the late eighties and early nineties with lessons on what not to do, the Government of China has provided authoritarian regimes with a blueprint, a road map, of what to do to hold on to power regardless of any democratic considerations.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party has maintained a constant effort to balance regime stability against reform priorities. This includes the complete control of media and communication channels within both the mainland and the SARs and, in particular, Hong Kong, which should possess a higher degree of autonomy from China's central government.
Since 1997, Hong Kong has experienced a gradual downfall of freedoms, which were once protected under the “one country, two systems” principle that guaranteed a higher degree of autonomy, including freedom of speech and freedom of the press, guarantees that were not respected with the introduction of the national security law in 2020. Since the law came into force, hundreds of protesters, activists and former opposition lawmakers have been arrested, many news outlets have been shut down and pro-democracy leading figures continue to be prosecuted.
Jimmy Lai's conviction is another milestone towards fully silencing Hong Kong. “Not guilty” was his answer to his prosecutors.
No one is guilty for being a journalist. Centralized dictatorships directly harm journalists with impunity through reputational, physical and monetary damage. They eliminate democratic spaces through controlling communication channels and monopolizing information.
We must draw attention to the fact that a defining characteristic of such regimes is to spill over their national borders into neighbouring countries and beyond. They are threatened by human rights and democracy. They implement their harmful ways against freedom of speech abroad, as they do at home.
China aims to heavily influence the international information environment. This includes propaganda, disinformation, misinformation and censorship, with a massive annual budget. In the Indo-Pacific region, China's information manipulation always aims to increase positive perceptions of the Communist Party while shaping narratives and influencing political outcomes. This strategy raises concerns about democratic integrity, societal stability and the potential for increased conflict and violence.
Additionally, the legitimacy of the coming 2024 and 2025 elections in the Indo-Pacific is at risk. Coordinated misinformation campaigns by players such as the Government of China undermine confidence in these democratic processes.
Honourable members and human rights advocates, it is critical for the Government of Canada to stand for human rights and democracy in the whole region of the Indo-Pacific, as it should elsewhere. It is crucial to support pro-human rights non-state actors—in particular, courageous journalists and media professionals such as Jimmy Lai—to promote and protect necessary freedoms, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also to ensure stability in a region of the world that is important to our country and defend principles that Canada stands for.
Thank you.