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【主權移交二十年：香港晦暗的未來】

中國國家主席習近平以君臨天下的姿態訪港，港島區保安密度猶如戒嚴。即使如此，我們相信凡是他所經之處，必有香港人民以發聾振聵之聲宣示我們爭取民主的決心。故我們發起「留守黑紫荊」行動，粉碎為習近平訪港而刻意營造出來的太平盛世假象，卻遭警方無理拘留超過逾三十小時，難道中國領導人訪港的代價是香港人民的示威自由與表達權利？

隨著中國「和平崛起」，國際社會或許不得已向這個威權政體退讓。然而「中國模式」之惡，在於它是建基於無數血泊及殘暴打壓之上。故此，我們呼籲國際社會關注中國的人權狀況，以及香港一國兩制的倒退，絕不要為一己經濟上的利益，而犧牲正在另一端受苦受困的中港人民。

當主權移交不過二十年，香港已步向一國一點五制，再過三十年，其自治會被蠶食到甚麼地步，實在教人不敢想像。在《中英聯合聲明》已淪為一紙空文，「港人治港，高度自治」的口號早已變成官員掛在口邊的囈語，民主選舉遙遙無期，香港人必須自強自立，挽香港這幢危樓於傾倒之間。然而，懸在香港頭上的刀一日既在，光明於香港依然是遙不可及。故此，香港與中國政府均有責任處理香港的「二次前途問題」，重訂中港兩地在二零四七後的憲政關係，維護香港人應有的公民權利。

回望歷史，爭取民主從來都是漫長而艱辛的，極權不會突然變得寬容，唯有依靠一代復一代的人民，一年復一年的抗爭，才有可能看見曙光。面對政權打壓，我們或有迷惘失意的時候，但在爭取民主的漫長道路上，香港人亦絕不孤單。

香港眾志
2017年7月1日

【Hong Kong in Twenty Years: The International City's Glooming Future】
On 1st July 1997, the UK transferred Hong Kong’s sovereignty to China, ending the city’s colonial era. Hong Kong people should have had the right to determine our own future, yet our right of self-determination was deprived in 1971, when Hong Kong was removed from the UN's list of colonies without actual consultations. In spite of the Sino-British Joint Declaration protecting Hong Kong’s rights for fifty year and the Basic Law guaranteeing the “One Country Two Systems” framework and a high degree of autonomy in Hong Kong for democratisation, Hong Kong people have never been involved in the negotiations concerning the city’s future.

'One Country Two Systems’ at Stake
20 years after the transfer of sovereignty, not only did Hong Kong not democratise itself according to the above documents, human rights are also gradually corrupted: the government has been manipulating election results and disqualified democratically elected lawmakers; publishers and businessmen were abducted by Chinese officials to Mainland China; political trials against leaders of the Umbrella Movement are to begin next month. As the biggest authoritarian regime in the world, China also interferes with internal affairs of Hong Kong such as education, degrading the high degree of autonomy. “One Country Two Systems” deteriorated into “One Country 1.5 Systems”.
Under Xi Jinping’s hard-line leadership, China will go to any lengths to suppress Hong Kong’s democratisation. In the past two years, the Malaysian government denied entry of Hong Kong activists at the request of the Chinese government, while the Thai government followed such requests and entrapped Joshua Wong in Bangkok for twelve hours. At home, we have witnessed British and Swedish citizens being abducted to the Mainland, undoubtedly sparking doubts regarding the safety of foreign citizens in Hong Kong.

Democracy - Our Destination, A Tenacious Fight
Although the Umbrella Movement was unable to advance Hong Kong’s political system, it inspired political participation of the younger generation and strengthened the sense of belonging to the city. The seeds of democracy was sown in the sterile political soil of Hong Kong in preparation for a civic movement of even larger scale than the Umbrella Movement.
Xi Jinping will come to Hong Kong for the first time as the country’s president on 1st July, we believe that it will provoke an important demonstration for the cause of universal suffrage. We implore the international community to express their support for Hong Kong’s democratisation and genuine autonomy on different platforms on this special occasion.

Appeal to the international community
It is essential for the international community to follow the discussions on Hong Kong’s future, since the guarantee of ‘One Country Two Systems’ made in Joint Declaration would expire in 2047. We cannot begin to fathom the state of Hong Kong’s autonomy in 30 years, as the Chinese’s promises retracted into simple but empty rhetorics. The most prominent questions include Hong Kong and China’s constitutional relationship and the waning civil rights.
As China’s economy soars, the global community starts to kowtow to this new rising power, and even sees the Chinese model as an alternative to democracy. However China’s so-called “peaceful rise” is based upon the authority’s violent suppression of its people. We appeal to the international community to continue monitoring the implementation of ‘One Country Two Systems’ and China’s human rights conditions, and not to succumb to economic benefits.
Democracy should not be taken for granted. We shall continue to pursue the virtues of democracy and genuine autonomy, standing up against authoritarianism, and uniting with civil societies - bearing in mind that we are not alone.

Demosisto
1 July 2017