Academics accuse former Hong Kong leader CY Leung of using lawsuits to intimidate opposition and suppress free speech
Three groups join forces and say 600 people have signed online petition protesting ‘strategic’ action against Chung Kim-wah and Eric Cheung
In a joint press conference on Sunday, three groups – the Scholars’ Alliance for Academic Freedom, the Independent Commentators Association, and the Confederation of Tertiary Institutes Staff Unions – said about 600 people had joined an online petition campaign they launched last Monday to say no to “strategic lawsuits against public participation [Slapp]”.
Lingnan University cultural studies professor Stephen Chan Ching-kiu, a member of the alliance, said: “If people with power and authority resort to litigations to exert pressure [on dissidents], it would cast a shadow over an open society, and silence critical voices in it.”
In a statement, the groups also said: “We express our strong disapproval of the legal actions taken by Mr C Y Leung. Slapps are intended by their filers to intimidate those who disagree with them, or their activities, by draining the target’s financial resources.
“Even a meritless lawsuit can take years and cost the defendant considerable amounts of money.
“The solidarity of the people of Hong Kong will definitely help the press, scholars and public intellectuals in fending off attempts to limit the freedoms of speech and the press.”