BEIJING Fri Nov 7, 2014 12:50am EST
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Protesters open their umbrellas, symbols of pro-democracy movement, as they mark exactly one month since they took the streets in Hong Kong’s financial central district October 28, 2014.
CREDIT: REUTERS/DAMIR SAGOLJ
(Reuters) – China should release at least 76 people, detained on the mainland for supporting Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, before the start of next week’s Asia-Pacific leaders summit in Beijing, rights group Amnesty International said on Friday.
Students calling for full democracy for Chinese-ruled Hong Kong have blocked roads leading into three of the city’s most economically and politically important districts for weeks, drawing condemnation from Beijing and the Hong Kong government.
Leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping will gather for the Nov. 10-11 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the Chinese capital. Preliminary meetings are already underway.
“APEC leaders must end their recent silence on the crackdown against mainland Chinese activists expressing support for Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters. Political convenience should not trump principled action,” said Roseann Rife, East Asia Research Director at Amnesty International.
“The leaders should take this opportunity to speak out and urge President Xi to ensure all those detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are immediately and unconditionally released,” she said in a statement.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Amnesty’s statement.
Beijing has ruled Hong Kong since 1997 through a “one country, two systems” formula that allows wide-ranging autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland.
The protesters are demanding fully democratic elections for the city’s next chief executive in 2017, not the vote between pre-screened candidates that Beijing has said it would allow.
Amnesty said the detentions in China have been especially concentrated in Beijing, as well as the southern cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen that abut Hong Kong.
People have been held for putting pictures online with messages of support, planning to go to Hong Kong to take part in the protests or shaving their heads in solidarity, it said.
