Cardinal Joseph Zen Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Six Hong Kong activists, including Cardinal Joseph Zen, have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by a group of American politicians from both the Republican and Democratic parties.

It’s worth noting that the media has pointed out that, with the exception of Cardinal Zen, the other nominees have all spent time in prison for their human rights activism. Howver, Cardinal Zen himself is currently facing a trial and has already been fined in a previous case.

This bipartisan nomination highlights the international attention and support for the human rights situation in Hong Kong, as well as the shared belief in the importance of peaceful activism and advocacy for the protection of human rights.

A February 2nd statement from the group says:

Representative Christopher Smith (Republican of New Jersey) and Senator Jeff Merkley (Democrat of Oregon), the Chair and Cochair, respectively, of the bicameral and bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and Representative James P. McGovern (Democrat of Massachusetts) and Senator Marco Rubio (Republican of Florida), former Chairs of the Commission, today announced their nomination of six Hong Kongers for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Jimmy Lai, Cardinal Joseph Zen, Tonyee Chow Hang-tung, Gwyneth Ho, Lee Cheuk-Yan and Joshua Wong were nominated because they are ardent champions of Hong Kong’s autonomy, human rights, and the rule of law as guaranteed under the Sino-British Declaration and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The nominees are representative of millions of Hong Kongers who peacefully opposed the steady erosion of the city’s democratic freedoms by the Hong Kong government and the government of the People’s Republic of China.

Through the nomination, the Members of Congress seek to honour all those in Hong Kong whose bravery and determination in the face of repression has inspired the world.

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