Support Professor Benny Tai and the University of Hong Kong’s Autonomy
To sign on the statement, please visit: https://bit.ly/31PIrXV
Members of academia are invited to express their support for our imprisoned colleague Benny Tai Yiu-Ting (戴耀廷), an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) Faculty of Law, who is at risk of wrongful dismissal.
In April 2019, Professor Tai was found guilty of conspiracy to cause public nuisance and inciting others to cause public nuisance and sentenced to sixteen months imprisonment for his role in the ‘Occupy Central with Love and Peace’ campaign. In the first-instance verdict against him, Judge Johnny Chan rejected Professor Tai’s argument that he had merely engaged in peaceful civil disobedience and ought not to be punished.
We understand from press reports and social media that calls have since been made for Professor Tai’s dismissal from HKU. Attempts to further punish Professor Tai for his peaceful efforts to promote democratic values in Hong Kong represent a distressing threat to values that are fundamental to higher education, including freedom of expression, academic freedom, and institutional autonomy.
We invite scholars from all disciplines to sign the below open letter urging HKU to guard Professor Tai from politically motivated disciplinary measures, and to protect the University’s autonomy and, by extension, its reputation as a distinguished institution known around the world for independent research, open inquiry, and freedom of speech.
Please note that names, titles, and institutional affiliations will be listed below the letter on a regular basis. Email addresses, however, will not be displayed or circulated.
For any inquiries regarding the letter, please write to advocacy4bennytai@gmail.com<mailto:advocacy4bennytai@gmail.com>.
To sign on the above statement, please enter via: https://bit.ly/31PIrXV
(The statement has already been signed by over 400 local and international scholars, whose names can be found via the above website.)
Regards,
學術自由學者聯盟
Scholars’ Alliance for Academic Freedom <admin@hksaaf.hkbiz.hk>