ISHR criticises human rights violations against political prisoners and points to transnational repression

The International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) supports the appeal of 53 NGOs to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights of 30 September 2025, in which they draw attention to systematic mistreatment in Hong Kong’s prisons, demand access to political prisoners and an independent report on the conditions in the prisons. In this context, the ISHR points out that the international arrest warrants and bounties issued by the Hong Kong police on 25 July 2025 against 19 pro-democracy activists are still valid.

“These activists did not commit a crime, but only exercised their right to freedom of expression outside Hong Kong. According to the authorities, the wanted persons are said to have tried to overthrow and destroy China’s government system by illegal means. Rewards of between $25,000 and $125,000 were offered for their capture. The ISHR strongly criticises this transnational repression as well as the catastrophic conditions in the prisons and emphasises China’s increased influence in Europe,” says Valerio Krüger, spokesman of the ISHR.

More than 700 political prisoners in Hong Kong

According to the ISHR, the current report on human rights violations in prisons in Hong Kong documents serious violations such as arbitrary and long solitary confinement, isolation to punish political prisoners, systematic mistreatment, chronic medical neglect as well as inhumane hygienic conditions and the instrumentalization of psychiatric detention against dissidents. More than 700 political prisoners – including prominent human rights defenders, journalists and pro-democracy activists such as Jimmy Lai, Leung Kwok-hung, Chow Hang-tung and Joshua Wong – are subjected to prolonged isolation and forced indoctrination through state “deradicalisation programmes”. The ISHR appeals to the German government to demand the investigation of grievances and to stand up for imprisoned democracy activists.

G7 countries criticized transnational repression

The members of the G7 countries’ Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) had also strongly condemned the issuance of arrest warrants by the Hong Kong police in July. Since its inception in 2018, the G7 RRM has pursued the goal of identifying and countering foreign threats to democracies. They classified the arrest warrants issued in July as transnational repression that undermined sovereignty, security, human rights and the protection of communities. The German Foreign Office declared on 1 August 2025 that it would not tolerate transnational repression and that no EU citizen should be intimidated or threatened by the foreign government if he expressed his opinion.

On 9 August 2025, Germany’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations also supported the G7 states’ stance on transnational repression. The ISHR welcomed the clear position of the German government on the arrest warrants issued in Hong Kong against EU citizens.