Today, Hong Kong Watch celebrates International Women’s Day by standing in solidarity with the women political prisoners of Hong Kong, and continuing to call for accountability for women’s rights violations in Hong Kong and gender-based transnational repression overseas.
Many female activists face gendered forms of transnational repression, such as misogynist insults, harassment, stalking, the distribution of fake or doctored images intended to be demeaning or degrading, and threats of bodily harm, including rape. This includes members of Jimmy Lai’s international legal team, Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC and Tatyana Eatwell of Doughty Street Chambers, who told The Guardian last month that they have been targeted in this manner. This represents an unacceptable use of gendered and misogynist abuse to intimidate human rights defenders.
In addition, the Hong Kong government has placed bounties on the heads of numerous female pro-democracy activists, including former Hong Kong Watch Policy Advisor Joey Siu, Carmen Lau, Chloe Cheung, Frances Hui, and Anna Kwok. This significantly endangers the physical safety of these women. Hong Kong Watch urges the Hong Kong government to rescind these bounties to be rescinded immediately, and for international governments to place pressure on the Hong Kong government until they do so.
Finally, Hong Kong ranks as having the highest rate of female prisoners in the world, with women representing 21% of the total prison population. Some of these are political prisoners, including Hong Kong activist and barrister Chow Hang-tung. Today, Hong Kong Watch is launching its redesigned database of political prisoner profiles as we continue to call for the immediate release of Chow Hang-tung and all political prisoners in Hong Kong.
We also urge the Hong Kong government to comply with its women’s rights obligations under international law, and to hold perpetrators of women’s rights violations accountable. We support the #IWD2025 for the women of Hong Kong in the city and around the world.
Megan Khoo, Policy Director at Hong Kong Watch, said:
“Hong Kong Watch is a majority female organisation, and we are privileged to work with many inspiring women activists who are part of the Hong Kong diaspora worldwide.
On International Women’s Day, we stand with women around the world, and specifically the women of Hong Kong, in demanding equal rights, the enjoyment of all rights and freedoms under international law, and an end to the use of transnational repression as a tool against women activists.”