Joint Statement by Hong Kong Diaspora Condemning Beijing’s Ethnic Unity Law and Its Assault on Communities in China and Beyond
Joint StatementJuly 13, 2026We, the undersigned Hong Kong diaspora and civil society organizations, together with allied groups around the world, jointly condemn the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Law on. . .
Joint StatementJuly 13, 2026We, the undersigned Hong Kong diaspora and civil society organizations, together with allied groups around the world, jointly condemn the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress (“the EUPL”), which took effect on 1 July 2026. The EUPL seeks to construct a singular, state-defined national identity across the PRC’s officially recognized ethnic groups. It requires schools across the PRC, including Hong Kong, to instill the history, values, and ideology of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in students. Article 20 of the law goes further, imposing an obligation on parents to raise children to love the CCP, the state, and the nation as defined by Beijing; and more concerningly, to refrain from teaching their children anything which may undermine “ethnic unity”. Most alarmingly, Article 63 extends the law’s reach beyond PRC borders, criminalizing vaguely defined “acts that undermine ethnic unity and create ethnic division” committed by organizations and individuals outside PRC territory. This extraterritorial reach mirrors the same expansive jurisdictional claims found in the 2020 Hong Kong National Security Law and the 2024 Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, laws already used to pursue, intimidate, and silence Hong Kongers living in exile. The EUPL has drawn immediate and widespread rebuke. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council have all raised concerns. Tragically, on 2 July, Tibetan exile Pawo Lobga Rangzen died after self-immolating outside the United Nations headquarters in New York in protest against the law — the first such act on US soil, and a stark measure of the desperation this legislation has provoked among affected communities. We view the EUPL as a further escalation of Beijing’s ethno-nationalist policymaking toward its border regions, its ethnic and linguistic minorities, and its neighbors. This is a coordinated assault on the right to a distinct cultural or religious identity separate from that ordained by the state, whether exercised in Tibet, Ürümqi, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or in exile. We urge:Governmentsto formally condemn the EUPL and its extraterritorial application, and to make clear that Beijing’s domestic law has no jurisdiction over their residents, citizens, or civil society. Legislaturesto introduce or strengthen legal protections against transnational repression, safeguarding Hong Kongers, Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other diaspora communities, exiled activists, and human rights defenders from surveillance, harassment, and intimidation carried out on behalf of foreign governments. Law enforcement and security agenciesto investigate related incidents and ensure affected communities have safe, accessible channels to report threats. International bodies, including the United Nations, to monitor and report on the implementation of the EUPL and its impact on minority rights and diaspora safety. Civil society, media, and the publicto stand in solidarity with those affected by this law, and to honor the memory of Pawo Logba Rangzen by continuing to speak out against the erasure of cultural and linguistic identity and the silencing of dissent. We will continue to advocate for the rights, safety, and dignity of Hong Kongers, ethnic and linguistic minorities, and all those targeted by the EUPL in China and beyond. Signatories:Action Free Hong Kong Montreal 滿地可撐香港行動組Alliance for Citizens RightsARTICLE 19Aus-Hong Kong Connex 港人滙坊Australia Hong Kong Link Association Inc. Australia Tibet CouncilCampaign For UyghursCanada-Hong Kong LinkCanada Tibet CommitteeCanadian Friends of Hong KongCanadian Value Watchman AssociationCenter for Uyghur StudiesChicago Solidarity with Hong Kong 芝援香港China Democratic Party 中国民主党CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen ParticipationDialogue ChinaFormosan Association for Public AffairsFormosan Association of Human Rights (US) 全美台灣人權協會 (美國)Fortify RightsFreedom HouseFreiheit für Hongkong e. V. Hong Kong Committee in NorwayHongKonger Community Center FoundationHongkonger in Deutschland e. V. 香港人在德國協會Hongkongers in LeedsHong Kongers in San DiegoHong Kong Forum, Los AngelesHong Kong Liberty Silver HairHongkong Museum 香港繆詩菴Hong Kong WatchInternational Tibet NetworkLady Liberty Hong Kong (LLHK)Manchester Hongkonger Community CentreNetwork for Uyghur Rights (NUR)NGO DEINorthern California Hong Kong ClubRaoul Wallenberg Centre for Human RightsStand with Hong Kong EUStarshiner 擦星星事务所Texans Supporting Hong Kong (TX4HK)The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong FoundationThe Federation for a Democratic ChinaToronto Association for Democracy in ChinaTorontonian HongKongers Action GroupUniting HongkongersUS Hongkongers Club 美國香港人會館Uyghur Association of Victoria (UAV)Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human RightsUyghur Rights Advocacy ProjectVictoria Hongkongers Association (Australia) 澳洲維港Washingtonians Supporting Hong Kong (DC4HK)Western Australian Association For Pan-Asian DemocracyWinnipeg Hong Kong ConcernWorld Uyghur CongressInvest in Freedom’s FutureAs Freedom House marks its 85th anniversary, we're asking you to join our Investing in Freedom's Future campaign. 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