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Two trade unionists in Hong Kong - Carol Ng, Chair of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), and Winnie Yu, President of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance (HAEA) - were given prison terms of four years, five months, and six years, nine months, respectively.
The trade unionists are among 47 pro-democracy defenders who were arrested for participating in elections in 2020 to select candidates for the Legislative Council elections. Sixteen of them who had pleaded not guilty, including Winnie Yu, were convicted in May.
ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle said: “Firstly, we must never forget that trade unionists are not criminals. Secondly, the United Nations as part of its human rights mandate protects trade unions and their right to freedom of association, including defending and fighting for democracy.
“We denounce the criminalisation of trade unionists for standing for democracy. These severe prison sentences given to Carol Ng and Winnie Yu for taking part in elections as part of their trade union work are inexcusable.
“Their persecution through the courts under the guise of national security is a gross violation of international labour standards.”
“We urge the Chinese and Hong Kong government to repeal the National Security Law in compliance with the findings of the ILO supervisory bodies and the UN Human Rights Committee, and release all imprisoned trade unionists.”