On Human Rights Day: “Stand With Us.”

An abbreviated version of this speech was delivered on December 8th, 2019 by Jenny Wang on behalf of Keep Taiwan Free at the Human Rights Day Joint Demonstration in New York City.

The joint demonstration was co-hosted by Keep Taiwan Free, Chushi Gangdruk, East Turkestan National Awakening Movement, Free Kazakhs Movement, Free Southern Mongolia, Students for a Free Tibet, Taiwanese American Association of New York, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of New York/New Jersey and the US-Tibet Committee. 

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides a road map, and a list of moral obligations to achieve. It recognizes the dignity and inalienable rights of each and every human being.

• Article 1: All humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
• Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person.
• Article 18: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
• Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

On December 10th, 40 years ago in Taiwan, the brave Taiwanese read this list of 30 articles and decided to demonstrate, to stand up against the authoritarian regime of the Chinese Nationalist Party.

They bravely demanded for democracy.
They bravely demanded for freedom.

The peaceful gathering was violently halted by riot police.

Today, several decades after the Formosa Incident, Taiwan has transitioned into a thriving democracy, and a country with deep respect for human rights and the rule of law.

The people of Taiwan have fought against injustices.
And the people of Taiwan continue to fight.

Because despite Taiwan’s triumphs — despite Taiwan’s own government, own territory, own population, own sovereignty — Taiwan remains as an international orphan because of the Chinese Communist Party’s pressure. Taiwan’s hard-fought democracy is constantly under threat, due to the Chinese Communist Party’s sophisticated disinformation tactics. The Chinese Communist Party has never renounced the use of force to annex Taiwan.

The people of Taiwan have fought against injustices.
And the people of Taiwan continue to fight.

Because we see our friends around us — bravely standing up for democracy, and bravely standing up for freedom — just like we did just a few decades ago.

We see our friends in Hong Kong, boldly chanting “Five demands, not one less.”

We hear our friends in Tibet, courageously fighting for freedom for the past 60 years.

Our hearts sink with our friends in East Turkestan, as millions are sent to concentration camps for simply being Uighur.

The people of Taiwan stand with you.

The CCP continues to be the world’s biggest threat to international peace, security, and human rights.

In light of our collective experiences, we are here today, on Human Rights Day, to urge the international community to stand with Taiwan.

Stand with Hong Kong.
Stand with Tibet.
Stand with East Turkestan.

Stand with us. And recognize our dignity and inalienable rights.