【时代论坛讯】有就读于美国新泽西州普林斯顿神学院（Princeton Theological Seminary）的香港学生，近日发声明支援香港的反修例运动，对香港处境上发生人道危机表示关注，并表达不同诉求。该联署提及，希望美国国会尽快通过《香港人权与民主法案》，，以表现「大家都是对同一份自由与民主的渴望」，对「因不公义而受苦及为香港民主运动付出的人」表达支持。
发起是次联署的，是现正在普林斯顿神学院就读道学与文学硕士课程的香港学生李颖妍。她接受本报电话访问时提到，自从她在九月入读该校，不断有来自世界各地的学生向她询问有关香港的状况，故此希望借是次联署，让更多来自世界不同地区的朋友都能知道及声援香港的民主运动，亦能表达参与他们对香港现时形势的担心。据李颖妍指，有共一百一十六位来自不同国籍的学生联署。
联署内容具五点讯息，包括：一、坚定与所有追求公义与民主的香港人同行；二、谴责香港警方对示威者、记者、救护人员使用过份而不必要的武力，造成严重的身体伤害；三、强烈关注警方对示威者使用「曱甴」的去人化言词，「曱甴」这字曾在卢旺达大屠杀时胡图族用在图西族身上，他们认为人人皆有上帝所创造的形象与尊严，担心是次风气会导致另一次大型镇压；四、要求特区政府正面而有建设地回应示威者提出的「五大诉求」。而第五点则特别关注美国国会正在讨论的《香港人权与民主法案》，联署希望该法案能尽快通过。
据李颖妍指，包含她在内四位香港学生，均签署了是次声明；而在过程中没有遇上有内地学生联署，所有联署者均以支持的态度参与联署。整个联署在十八日于网上发出，至廿三日结束，其中亦曾设街站让人公开签署。普林斯顿神学院校方虽然一直知道他们的行动，但并没有派员阻止与训话等。李颖妍亦指收集联署后，现时未有进一步的行动计划。
联署全文如下：
Princeton Theological Seminary Students Stand with Pro-Democracy Hong Kong Protestors
We are a group of students from Princeton Theological Seminary expressing our concerns over the situation of Hong Kong, which has lately turned into a humanitarian crisis.
Starting in early June, there have been oppositions in Hong Kong to the extradition bill proposed by the government — a bill that would allow transfers of fugitives to Mainland China. If the bill passes, the people of Hong Kong will be regulated under the Mainland law enforcement authorities, which is a clear breach of the legal system in Hong Kong and the “One Country, Two Systems” policy. Despite the widespread criticism from the citizens, lawyers, and foreign countries like the UK and the US, the Hong Kong government insisted on introducing the bill, which resulted in the largest protests in Hong Kong’s history. Millions of people marched through the streets to express their demands. While the Chief Executive in Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, has claimed to move the motion of retreating the bill on 4th September 2019, it has not appeased the people in Hong Kong. The demonstrations over the past three months have exposed an increasingly dark and corrupted side of the Hong Kong ruling government, especially regarding police brutality, and the movement has escalated into something much bigger: a fight for justice and democracy.
In view of what is happening in Hong Kong, we as believers of Jesus Christ, who has called his followers to stand for the poor and the oppressed, hope to voice our support to the people of Hong Kong. In this statement, we have five messages to convey.
First, we firmly stand by the people of Hong Kong who are searching for justice and democracy, which we believe to be the universal core values and principles that should be held dearly by people regardless of their country, race, skin color, gender, religion, or socioeconomic status. We commend the bravery and perseverance demonstrated by the people of Hong Kong in this movement, which is unprecedented and admirable.
Second, we strongly condemn the excessive, unjustifiable, and selective use of physical violence exerted on the protesters, and even on reporters and first-aid responders, by the Hong Kong Police Force, which is clearly breaching international humanitarian law. We do not agree with any sort of violence from any side, but in the situation of power asymmetry, we are not afraid to stand by the oppressed against the greater violence.
Third, we are deeply concerned about the dehumanizing language that the Hong Kong Police Force is using in referring to the protesters as “cockroaches.” The term “cockroaches” was once used by the Hutus regarding the Tutsis in the late 20th century, leading up to the Rwandan genocide in 1994. We believe that all humans are created by God and deserve to be treated with dignity as human beings. We disapprove of any dehumanizing act or language imposed by any person on another human being, for history has informed us this is usually the first step to more horrendous repression.
Fourth, we sincerely urge the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to make a constructive response to the demands raised by the Hong Kong people, including a full withdrawal of the extradition bill, a halt to categorizing the protests as riots, the commission of independent inquiry into police brutality, an amnesty for arrested protesters, and the implementation of universal suffrage.
Last but not least, we earnestly implore the US Congress to back the Hong Kong people by passing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, affirming the significance of human rights and political autonomy of the people of Hong Kong. Since we share the same longing for liberty and democracy, let all of us stand alongside the people who are suffering from injustice and dedicate our support to their fight for democracy.
Although we are making this statement from afar, we would like every person in Hong Kong to know that we have heard your cry and felt your pain, and that we are with you in heart and spirit. We would like to send our special regards and love to our brothers and sisters in Hong Kong. May the peace of our Lord be with you always and give you the wisdom and courage to be the prophetic voice of this era. Stand by the oppressed and be the salt in this world.
In the spirit of love, justice and liberation,
Wing Yin Li — Hong Kong
Archange Antoine — New Jersey, USA
See Yin Yeung — Hong Kong
Preston Grissom — Virginia, USA
Terry Stokes — New Jersey USA
Julianna Muya — New Jersey USA
Freddy Sanchez — Illinois USA
Kevin Smoot — Ohio USA
Lena Zwarg — Germany
Sean Pomory — New Jersey USA
Taylor King — Iowa USA
Emma Worrall — NewJersey USA
Chris Henderson — Pennsylvania USA
Anna Stamborski — Wisconsin USA
Austin Mathews — North Carolina USA
Chisun Song — South Korea
Nicholas Young — Maryland USA
Carter Grant — Florida USA
Danbi Jung — South Korea
Katie Rosenson — Chicago USA
Jessica Cronau — Ohio USA
Wingyi Wong — Hong Kong
Kamaria Byrd — New Jersey USA
Briana Grenert — Hawaii USA
Haeun Shin — South Korea
Suse Jo — Macau
Tamesha Mills — New York USA
Shalom Stewart — Pennsylvania USA
Mary Hayes — Ohio USA
Hector Herrera — New Jersey USA
Matthew Heisler — Oregon USA
Harlan Redmond — New Jersey USA
Emily Sutphin — Virginia USA
Brittany Naumann — New Jersey USA
Brooke Matejka — Missouri USA
Jonathon Reece — California USA
Emily Zinsitz — New Jersey USA
Drea O — New Jersey USA
Brooke Caton — New York USA
Linda Kwak — California USA
Hyelim Yoon — South Korea
Luis Quiñones-Roman — New Jersey USA
Samuel Pachuau — India
Eric Fung — California USA
Stephanie Thurston — New Jersey USA
Nii Addo Abrahams New Jersey USA
Madeline Baas — Michigan USA
Nikki Zimmermann — New Jersey USA
Susan Brasier — Ohio USA
RobKraft — Rhode Island USA
Bethany Putney — Washington USA
Davidson Sutherland — New Jersey USA
Andrew Bridgeman — Michigan USA
Michaela Silvis — Minnesota USA
Rory Chambers — New Jersey USA
Hannah Hawkinson — Illinois USA
Marcus Lambright — New Jersey USA
Carson Washington — New Jersey USA
Zechariah Knepper — California USA
Minjin Yoo — South Korea
Kyle Chen — Connecticut USA
Rachel Crilley — Texas USA
William Myers — New Jersey USA
Lance Baker — Oregon USA
Michael Cuppett — Missouri USA
Lauren Hoak — Virginia USA
Ryon Herin — Indiana USA
Austin King — Oregon USA
Samuel Jang — New Jersey USA
Shehan Rodrigo — New Jersey USA
Olivia Sandel — New Jersey USA
Justin Whitaker — New Jersey USA
Adedayo Adebayo — New Jersey USA
David Felsch — Minnesota USA
Jieun Yoon — South Korea
Brandon Smee — New Jersey USA
Peter Manning — New York USA
Brooke Greenburg — Oregon USA
Jeremiah Croft — Washington USA
Alyssa Queen — Virginia USA
Connor McCraney — New Jersey USA
Patricia Stewart — Pennsylvania USA
Al Curley — New York USA
Jamie White — Utah USA
Kenneth Chan — Hong Kong
Gregory Louis — Florida USA
Collin Thomas — Michigan USA
Samuel Marquez — New Jersey USA
Kara Applegate — Connecticut USA
Madeline Baas — Michigan USA
Nicole Busacca — Washington USA
Wyatt Linde — Colorado USA
Lilly Snear — Kentucky USA
Soren Johnson — Oklahoma USA
Carlos Acosta — California USA
Dae Jin Ahn — New Jersey USA
Tashawna Gordon — Oregon USA
EmmaMartin — New Jersey USA
MicahCronin — New Jersey USA
Ashlay Gonzalez — New Jersey USA
ClementWoods — Liberia
Daniel Chrosuiak — TexasUSA
Liezl Bosch — United Kingdom
Carly Bartow-Kettelhut — New Jersey USA
Caroline Hughes — New York USA
Sharath Souseelya — India
Heejin Choi — South Korea
Seng Lat Aung — Myanmar
Luís Carlos Dalla Rosa — Brazil
Jason Suh — New Jersey USA
Lauren March — Michigan USA
Maci Sepp — Illinois USA
Connor McManus — Ohio USA
Lindsay Bates — Minnesota USA
Rochhuahthanga Jongte — India
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