On April 24th 2003, Hong Kong Legislator Emily Lau was presented with the "Human Rights - Freedom of Expression" Award at Uppsala University in Sweden. Ms. Lau, who used to be a BBC journalist, was barred from entering mainland China because she has enough moral courage to speak the truth.
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At a press conference, Ms. Lau talked about the sharp decline in Hong Kong's human rights. She stated that if the Hong Kong people fail to fight for their own human rights, then these rights will be permanently lost. Under pressure from Beijing, Hong Kong plans to enact the Article 23 legislation. It has also denied Falun Gong practitioners entry to Hong Kong several times, and has imposed restrictions on freedom of expression and freedom of belief. In Ms. Lau's opinion, Hong Kong is about to become another city under the autocratic power of China.
Emily Lau concluded, "I hope that the Chinese government will become more open in their politics. If this was the case, there would not be the massive infection of SARS." Her speech earned thunderous applause from the audience in Uppsala University.
Category: Voices of Support Worldwide
