© Reuters. The eight-metre-high “Pillar of Disgrace” by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot to pay tribute to the victims of the Tiananmen Sq. crackdown in Beijing on June 4, 1989 is seen earlier than it’s set to be eliminated on the College of Hong Kong (HKU) in Hong Kong, C
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By Jessie Pang
HONG KONG (Reuters) – The Danish sculptor of a statue that commemorates pro-democracy protesters killed throughout China’s Tiananmen Sq. crackdown in 1989 has requested Hong Kong authorities for immunity from a nationwide safety regulation so he come and take it again to Denmark.
Jens Galschiot loaned the eight-metre excessive, two-tonne sculpture referred to as “Pillar of Disgrace” to a neighborhood civil society group, the Hong Kong Alliance in Help of Patriotic Democratic Actions in China, in perpetuity.
The statue, depicting dozens of torn and twisted our bodies, has been on show on the College of Hong Kong for greater than 20 years. After the Alliance disbanded in September with some members accused of nationwide safety offences, the college requested the group take away the statue from its premises.
In an open letter on Friday, Galschiot, who values the statue at round $1.4 million, mentioned he was prepared to take it again to Denmark, however that his presence in Hong Kong was crucial for the complicated operation to go nicely.
Cooperation from the college and metropolis authorities for technical help, roadblocks and permits was additionally wanted, he mentioned.
Moreover, Galschiot requested for assurances that he wouldn’t be prosecuted beneath a sweeping nationwide safety regulation imposed by Beijing in 2020 to punish what it sees as subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with overseas forces.
“I can perceive from the press that the introduction of the brand new safety laws in Hong Kong means that there’s a authorized foundation for arresting overseas nationals who have interaction in actions that criticise China,” Galschiot wrote.
The statue’s elimination “will result in actions and media protection that may very well be perceived as criticism of China. Subsequently, I must get a assure that my staff and I cannot be prosecuted.”
The college, the federal government’s Safety Bureau, and the Immigration Division didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
The college gave the Alliance a deadline for the statue’s elimination, which expired a month in the past. It mentioned on the time it was searching for authorized recommendation on what to do with it.
Democratic activists and a few Western governments say the safety regulation is a software to silence dissent and push Hong Kong firmly on an authoritarian path. Chinese language and metropolis authorities keep Hong Kong remains to be ruled by the rule of regulation and particular person rights and freedoms stay intact.
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