UK and Geneva independent journalists and human rights experts were invited to a UN Human Rights Council side event to share their stories of human rights offense by their government in the name of national security.
On 13th Sept, UK independent journalists, Craig Murray who was also a British ambassador to Uzbekistan, Richard Medhurst and Swiss-based human rights NGO founder Sharof Azizov were giving statements for themselves and client in a side event “Human Rights & Security Legislation” by Hong Kong NGO, International Probono Legal Services Association.
Craig Murray shared his experience of being detained and questioned at a Scottish airport for attending a pro-Palestinian event in Iceland. He was asked to surrender his electronic devices and passwords, and was denied access to a lawyer. He was warned that failure to comply would result in being charged under the Terrorism Act and sentenced to two years in prison. In the UK, any misinformation defined by the government on social media could lead to the closure of platforms which have subscribers deemed as hostile by the government. Mr. Murray believes that the political and media classes in the entire Western world are heavily influenced and bought by lobbying groups, and that the news seen on the BBC or The Guardian differs significantly from the reality.
Journalist Richard Medhurst recounted a similar terrifying experience as the first UK journalist arrested under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000. At Heathrow Airport, he was confronted by six plainclothes individuals claiming to be police without any identification. All his journalistic equipment, including microphones and wired and wireless headsets, was confiscated. He was locked in a cell resembling a toilet, monitored 24 hours a day by cameras. Medhurst could face charges and potentially be imprisoned for up to 14 years due to his journalistic work.
Medhurst criticized the Terrorism Act, stating that it is a form of abuse rather than legitimate use, as the legislation itself is so broad and vague, particularly Section 12. Its formulation could criminalize free speech and be easily misused by the UK to suppress reporting on group actions on the ground. He questioned the UK government: “Let me ask the UK government one last question. Is this what you want the world to know? Is this your desired legacy? How many more people do you intend to arrest? How many Palestinians will be murdered?”
Sharof Azizov, the founder of the co-organizing NGO, Justice for All International, stated that the Estonian Internal Security Service KAPO is increasingly becoming an instrument of repression, targeting activists, human rights defenders, and opposition figures like Mr. Ivo Peterson, all under the guise of protecting national security. He has been imprisoned based on absurd charges related to his nonviolent activities and has yet to be convicted. His continued imprisonment, along with threats and intimidation directed at other members of his party, reflects a broader climate of fear and political suppression orchestrated by KAPO.
Similarly, Jewish entrepreneur Yuliya Serebryannik had her assets unlawfully seized by the Turkmenistan government solely based on her ethnic background, demonstrating how state security agencies are being misused to marginalize minorities. The situation is no different in China. Chinese entrepreneurs, particularly Uyghur and Hong Kong businesspeople, face disproportionate sanctions under false pretenses, framed as measures to promote their rights. These sanctions have inflicted significant economic and social harm, undermining their businesses while stripping them of their political and civil rights, all conducted in the name of national security by foreign states. This raises serious concerns about adherence to international law.
(Photos from International Probono Legal Services Association)
Innes Tang Chief Research Analyst 2024.9.16
國家安全成為西方的鎮壓工具
英國及歐洲的獨立記者及人權專家受邀出席聯合國人權理事會的會外活動（邊會），分享他們自身及代表客戶的真實人權被剝奪故事。
曾為英國駐烏茲別克大使的獨立記者Craig Murray，同樣來自英國的專業記者Richard Medhurst，及駐瑞士人權專家Sharof Azizov於9月13日由香港《國際公益法律服務協會》主辦的邊會【人權與國家安全立法】上分享了令人驚訝的西方人權真實故事。
Murray表示，他因為出席一個在冰島舉行的支持巴勒斯坦活動，在蘇格蘭機場被羈留問話，被要求交出隨身的電子設備和密碼，並不容許約見律師，如果不交出設備或者不回答問題，將被直接被控告違法《恐怖主義法》及判刑2年監禁；在英國，只要在網路社交平台有被政府定義的假新聞，或者存在一些被政府定義為敵對國家的訂閱者，平台將會被關閉。梅里認為整個西方世界的政治和媒體階層受到設計遊說團體的強大影響及被收買，在BBC或衛報上看到的新聞和真實的情況完成不同。
記者Medhurst有類似的可怕經歷，是英國首名被2000年《恐怖主義法》第12條被逮捕的記者。在希思羅機場被六名穿著便衣、沒有身份證明、自稱警察在飛機入口處遞補。所有的記者設備，包括麥克風、有線和無線耳機都被沒收了。並被關進一個廁所般的地牢牢房內，24小時被攝錄監控。梅德赫斯特可能會被指控，可能會因為他的記者工作而入獄長達14年。
Medhurst認為《恐怖主義法》，這其實是一種濫用，而不是正當使用，因為這項立法本身是如此廣泛和模糊，尤其是第12條。它的制定方式可以使自由言論犯罪，並且可以被英國輕易濫用，來壓制關於地面上團體行動的報導。他質問英國政府：「讓我最後問英國政府一個問題。這是你想讓全
世界知道的嗎？這是你想要的遺產嗎？你打算再逮捕多少人？還有多少巴勒斯坦人將被謀殺？」。
Azizov表示愛沙尼亞內部安全局KAPO越來越成為一種鎮壓工具，針對活動家、人權捍衛者和反對派人物（如伊沃·彼得森 Mr Aivo Peterson），以保護國家安全為名進行打壓。他因荒謬的非暴力活動指控而被監禁，且至今未被定罪。他的持續監禁，以及針對他黨內其他成員的威脅和恐嚇，反映出KAPO所操控的更廣泛的恐懼和政治壓制氛圍。
同樣，來自猶太裔的企業家尤利婭·謝列布里亞尼克（Yuliya Serebryannik），其資產被土庫曼斯坦政府非法扣押，完全是基於她的民族背景，顯示出國家安全機構如何被濫用以邊緣化少數群體。在中國，情況也不遑多讓。中國企業家，特別是維吾爾族和香港商人，因虛假的理由而面臨西方不成比例的制裁，這些制裁是以促進他們的權利為名的。這些制裁對他們造成了重大的經濟和社會傷害，削弱了他們的商業活動，同時剝奪了他們的政治和公民權利，這一切均以外國國家國家安全的名義進行。這引發了對國際法遵守的嚴重關切。
Innes Tang 駐日內瓦首席調查分析師 2024.9.16
