Human rights in Asia-Pacific: Review of 2019

It was a year of repression, but also of resistance. The Chinese government clamped down with renewed force on the freedoms promised to the people of Hong Kong under the terms of the handover of the territory in 1997. In the streets, those freedoms were doughtily defended against the steepest odds. Month after month, in the face of the police’s abusive methods – including countless volleys of tear gas, arbitrary arrests, physical assaults, abuse in detention – millions showed their resolve, demanding accountability and insisting on their human rights to free expression and peaceful assembly.

Choose a language to view report

Download PDF