教育界聲明:要求政府收回逃犯條例(修訂)草案

教育界聲明:要求政府收回逃犯條例(修訂)草案

Started
11 May 2019
Petition to
林鄭月娥, 香港特首
Signatures: 205,591Next Goal: 300,000
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Why this petition matters

Started by 教育界聲明

[Please scroll down for the English version.]

政府的《逃犯條例(修訂)草案》是如此理屈詞窮,難圓其說,面對如此無理法案,教師不能無聲。

第一,大、中、小、幼、特學校的教師與內地同行交流已很常見,教師帶領學生往內地遊學活動日益增加。內地執法、司法的水平仍然令普遍港人缺乏信心,公義難以伸張、栽贓誣陷、淪為政治打壓等等,屢有所聞。過去發生在港人士被挾持返大陸的事件,尚屬暗中與非法,《逃犯條例(修訂)草案》一旦通過,公權力被濫用、港人被引渡的危機將大大增加。

第二,政府提出《逃犯條例(修訂)草案》的謊言,已遭一一戳破。例如因台灣殺人案而起的所謂「同情心」或「憐憫心」,其實只是消費死者及其家人,以便《草案》急急通過;所謂廿年來沒有堵塞的漏洞,經過解封政府檔案後發現,其實只因大陸法律未完善,連大陸方面當年也曾承認。政府及支持修例者提出種種不合理的理據,諮詢廿日便要在立法會硬闖,要急急通過,可謂公然欺騙港人,侮辱港人智慧。

第三,大陸和香港兩地均視為違法者方可引渡,除刑事等罪行外,知識產權的相關法律、正在審議的《國歌法》、遲早會重臨的《基本法》廿三條立法、以及按《基本法》附件三由人大常委控制的在港適用的內地法律等等,都可以成為引渡缺口。香港法庭礙於職權受限於表面證據,難以為港人「把關」。立法會法律顧問對《草案》也有許多重大質疑。由此可見,若《草案》通過,將令所有港人產生過去不會存在的被引渡危險。

第四,教育的使命是幫助學生養成有助活出美好人生與美好社會的品質,培養相應的態度與價值觀,教師在教育實踐上須有充分的言論空間與學生探討真、善、美,以及民主、公義、自由等價值。條例令得教學自由被壓縮,教師會因害怕以言入罪,而自我審查,所以條例的修訂會令教育質素受到重大影響。

總而言之,大陸仍然人權不彰、審訊難言公平、司法屈從政治、充斥貪腐,一旦通過《草案》,香港勢將喪失免於恐懼的自由。教師面對公義受壓不能無聲,為了下一代不陷於被引渡回大陸的危險,我們強烈要求政府收回《逃犯條例(修訂)草案》。若政府一意孤行,我們要求全體立法會議員予以否決。

發起團體:
進步教師同盟
學術自由學者聯盟
全民教育局
高教公民
教育工作關注組

2019年5月

=================

May 2019

The government’s Fugitive Offenders Ordinance (Amendment) Bill is so unreasonable and untenable that teachers cannot remain silent.

First, exchanges between teachers of local universities, secondary schools, primary schools, kindergartens and special schools and their Mainland counterparts are already very common.  At the same time, there has been a sharp increase of Mainland study tours which have to be guided by teachers. People in Hong Kong generally lack confidence in the Mainland’s law enforcement and judicial system, where failures of justice, frame-ups and evidence-planting degenerating into political persecution are frequently heard of.  Incidents involving the seizure of persons in Hong Kong to the Mainland have occurred in secret and outside the law. Once the amendment bill is passed and public authority is abused, the risk of local residents being extradited will increase tremendously.

Secondly, the government’s lies in proposing the amendment bill have been all but exposed. For example, the so-called “sympathy” or “compassion” for the Taiwan homicide case is in fact an exploitation of the victim and her family in order to speed up the passage of the bill. Released official records also belie the claim that there is a 20-year-plus loophole to be closed, showing even Mainland acknowledgement at the time that the real reason was the defective Mainland laws. The government and its supporters raise all sorts of unjustifiable claims and attempt to ride roughshod over the Legislative Council with a consultation period of only 20 days. This is no less than publicly hoodwinking Hong Kong citizens and insulting our intelligence.

Thirdly, although only acts considered as constituting an offence in both Hong Kong and the Mainland are extraditable, apart from criminal acts, laws relating to intellectual properties, the national anthem law that is being vetted, the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law that will sooner or later return, and the applications of national laws in Hong Kong which are in the hands of the NPC in accordance with Annex III of the Basic Law can all become openings for extradition. Limited to considerations on prima facie evidence, it will be difficult for Hong Kong courts to be the “gatekeepers”.  A legal advisor of the Legislative Council has also expressed serious misgivings about the bill. Hence, if the bill is passed, all Hong Kong people will face hitherto non-existent risks of extradition.

Fourthly, the mission of education is to help students develop qualities in leading fruitful lives and building good societies, with corresponding attitudes and values. In teaching, educators need freedom of discussion with students in order to explore issues of truth, goodness and beauty as well as other values like democracy, justice and freedom. The bill suppresses freedom of discussion in teaching, educators will be wary of speech crimes, resulting in self-censorship and decline in learning and teaching quality.

On the whole, human rights are not yet respected in the Mainland, trials cannot be said to be fair, justice succumbs to politics and corruption is rampant. Once the bill is passed, Hong Kong will be in danger. Teachers cannot remain silent when justice is trampled. In order to protect our future generations not to face the risks of extradition to the Mainland, we strongly demand that the government withdraw the amendment bill. If the government insists on its course, we demand that all legislators veto the bill.

Initiating organizations:
Progressive Teachers’ Alliance
Scholars’ Alliance for Academic Freedom
HKEd4All
Progressive Scholars Group
HK Education Concern Group

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Signatures: 205,591Next Goal: 300,000
Support now
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Decision-Makers

  • 林鄭月娥, 香港特首