At the book fair, it’s more than just words: What was announced as a vigil for the four years ago, kidnapped the Hong Kong book dealer Gui Minhai, was a clear Demonstration for the freedom of expression.
Under umbrellas, gathered on visitors, journalists and writers, to Express their solidarity with the protest movement in Hong Kong and imprisoned authors. “The restriction of the freedom of expression is always the first indication of a wrong state,” said the managing Director of the börsenverein of the German book trade, Alexander Skipis, on Thursday (17.10.2019) during the protest action on the exhibition grounds of the Frankfurt book fair.
“Germany needs to show attitude”
Unusually he sharply criticized the German government and German companies, the people returned rights violations in China, often under the table, to be able to their business relations undisturbed maintain. “Germany needs to show in this decisive question of attitude,” called Skipis.
“We don’t know where Gui Minhai, we know how to do it for him,” he said. “The rights are held by China with the feet.” The China-born publisher has been deported 2015 in Thailand by the Chinese authorities and detained. As a co-owner of the Hong Kong publishing “Mighty Current” had published the 55-Year-old revelation books about the private life of Chinese politicians.
In June 2016 in Hong Kong-free come book dealer Lam Wing Kee in front of a picture of his abducted colleague, Gui Minhai
Solidarity with the kidnapped book dealer Gui Minhai
Lam Wing-Kee was more fortunate than his colleague Gui Minhai. The Hong Kong book dealer had been kidnapped in 2015, too, but he was able to settle its of the Chinese authorities arranged to return to Hong Kong. After Frankfurt, he came to ask for support and solidarity for Gui Minhai. He also called on the Federal government to urge China to respect human rights.
The German exiled Chinese writer and winner of the peace prize of the German book trade, Liao Yiwu, said: “We must do everything to preserve the freedom of expression and democracy in Hong Kong.”
The rally called in addition to the stock exchange Association, the writers ‘ Association PEN International. The American PEN-Chairman Jennifer Clement solid, the linearized with the Hong Kong democracy movement, and read out a touching letter to Angela Guis, the daughter of the in China held publisher: “So much has changed in the four years since then, my father was kidnapped. In my life, but, more importantly, in the lives of all Hong Kong. The fear that Hong Kong is no longer safe, it has been confirmed in a way that we can imagine it would not have. Nevertheless, the international community seems to be convinced that a conviction is sufficient.”