Congressman rails at Hong Kong efforts to block US-based content

washington — 

A starring U.S. Democrat connected China argumentation has called connected an American web hosting institution not to comply with requests from Hong Kong authorities to suspend the website of a media work founded by overseas Hong Kong ideology activists.

Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the apical Democrat connected the House Select Committee connected the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), wrote to web services institution Automattic connected Monday to guarantee the webpage belonging to Flow HK, an online media outlet founded by Hong Kong pro-democracy activists who are successful exile, remains operational contempt unit from the Hong Kong police.

At the opening of October, VOA revealed Flow HK to beryllium the archetypal overseas Hong Kong media website to beryllium officially blocked wrong Hong Kong, but caller requests to region the website internationally brought the archetypal censorship wrong China to a deeper level.

In the archetypal notice, Hong Kong constabulary requested that Flow HK’s website beryllium removed for allegedly violating the Hong Kong National Security Law by promoting secessionism, subverting authorities powerfulness and colluding with overseas forces.

Automattic has not complied with these requests, a determination that Krishnamoorthi praises arsenic “the close choice,” successful a missive exclusively obtained by VOA.

“Hong Kong’s effort to usage its National Security Law to extraterritorially region lawful contented successful the United States is unacceptable, and American companies should not assistance facilitate specified repression,” the lawmaker said successful his letter.

'Crystal clear' opposition

Krishnamoorthi expressed interest astir what helium sees arsenic an expanding inclination of Chinese officials attempting to censor detractors abroad.

“This is not the archetypal clip the CCP has tried to usage Hong Kong’s National Security Law to people overseas pro-democracy activists, and it won’t beryllium the last. Bounties person been placed connected activists, adjacent Americans,” Krishnamoorthi told VOA.

“Congress indispensable beryllium crystal wide that we volition not tolerate the CCP utilizing its laws to people overseas activists, including their websites hosted present successful America,” helium added.

Carmen Lau, planetary advocacy and programme subordinate astatine the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council, said the Hong Kong authorities is much often utilizing its information laws successful this mode to people radical extracurricular China.

“FlowHK goes beyond conscionable reporting news; it plays a unsocial relation successful documenting and discussing societal issues,” Lau wrote to VOA. She added that the behaviour of the Hong Kong authorities “clearly signals that the crackdown connected escaped code and state of look is accelerating, extending beyond borders to suppress the escaped code of dissidents and the diaspora."

Flow HK was founded successful aboriginal 2021 by societal activists expelled from Hong Kong. "In the look of unprecedented humanities trials, it explains connected its website, “we who are scattered crossed the satellite are determined to support this unsocial assemblage of Hong Kong radical and walk connected the occurrence of resistance."

Hong Kong has internally blocked respective websites related to the protests, including the Hong Kong Chronicles, which contains idiosyncratic accusation connected immoderate Hong Kong constabulary officers; the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council; the British quality rights enactment Hong Kong Watch; Taiwan's Transitional Justice Commission; the 2021 Hong Kong Charter, composed of Hong Kong exiles; and the June 4th Memorial Museum.

Automattic, a exertion institution headquartered successful San Francisco, provides web contented absorption services successful 92 countries and has 1,730 employees. According to its website, the institution provides services for galore well-known websites, societal networking sites and apps, including WordPress.com, WordPress VIP, Woo, Simplenote, Newspack and Tumblr.

VOA requested comments from Automattic, the Hong Kong constabulary and Flow HK but did not person responses by the clip of publication.