Appeal from Hong Kong: Free Li Bo Now!
Dear SCMers,
SCM Hong Kong is calling for your help. 5 book sellers from Hong Kong went missing. They are believed to be abducted by the Chinese Government.
They all work for the same bookstore, Causway Bay Bookstore, and they went missing one by one over the span of a few months.
Although the latest case Li Bo wrote home recently, it is very likely that he is forced to do so under threat. The fact is that he hasn’t show up till now.
It is said that these book sellers are abducted by Chinese Police because they are about to publish a book on President Xi Jin Ping’s private life. Let me put it very clearly that Chinese police has no role whatsoever in Hong Kong. Chinese laws are not applicable in Hong Kong as the legal system is different and we enjoy freedom of press as guaranteed by the Basic Law.
Please share the attached news below with your national SCM. You can also find video in different languages at the bottom of this email.
Q: How can I help?
Prayers, of course. And more. We need you to go to the Chinese Embassy in your region and give them pressure to release the 5 missing book sellers. You can organize a protest, send press release, make it to the newspaper then send us that piece of news.
Q: Why would that help? Shouldn’t the police in Hong Kong be investigating?
The Hong Kong police has very limited power in cases concerning China since China is our sovereign country. In this case since it is very sensitive and political, the local police dare not to point it to the Chinese Government.
The good news is, judging from the circumstances, it is only the conduct of some over-ambitious front line officials. If the Chinese Government perceive this as an embarrassment within the international community, it is very likely
these booksellers will be released (unlike some real threats such as Liu Xiao Bo).
Thank you for your help.
Best regards
Jason Lai
ExCo Member, SCMHK
Vice Convenor, Civil Human Rights Group
More information:
Videos made by SCMHK in different languages, explaining the situation