Trump freezes funds will benefit the protesters in Hong Kong

The Trump administration froze the funding should help people with knowledge of the matter show as long as Beijing is preparing to impose a new national security law that protesters fear will erode civil liberties are evading Hong Kong Chinese government sources monitoring. Freezing Funding came on June 9, five days after Michael Pack, an ally of President Trump, was the Senate confirmed the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) to drive the initiatives of the federal funding of several Internet Freedom and monitor foreign news, including the Voice of America and Radio free Asia. senior staff at the agency was informed in an e-mail from time to pack received funding has been exposed to a variety of activities at the agency. In the email, USAGM CFO Grant Turner cites an application package immediately freeze “the new contracts, renewals of contracts” of the federal agency and beneficiaries as well as to new hires and promotions. The freeze hit several contracts is estimated from two sources with knowledge of their worth about $2 million for the democracy movement in Hong Kong would benefit directly. In a statement at the time USAGM does not dispute the figure $2 million, but said it was committed to the defense of Internet freedom in the region. “He understands provided the scope and nature of the threat posed by enemies of freedom of expression USAGM CEO Michael Pack, and this is exactly why they reinforce the perception [Chinese] firewall bypass priority of his tenure at the agency,” said a spokesman. The funds were established by the USAGM group based in Washington opened Technology Fund (OTF) that freedom is funding open source projects are distributed around the world the Internet monitor. The OTF is officially funded an independent non-profit, but by Congress with State supervision. The administration Trump funding freeze came less than a month after the Communist Party of China has announced plans for a national security law, secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces make it a crime. pro-democracy activists say the law should be adopted on Tuesday and takes effect immediately curtail the autonomy of Hong Kong and the freedom to enjoy that distinguish it from the Chinese mainland. The impending legislation and another controversial law that China national anthem criminalized insults have new clashes in Hong Kong in recent weeks caused cycle, even though the protests have so far failed, the dynamic of their own in the second half of 2019. A of once again had the OTF plans in front of the national security Act came into force in Hong Kong was a response team to cyber incidents focused on the creation of Hong Kong. The Chinese team of surveillance techniques would analyze and develop information quickly shared with developers of applications for secure communications after identifying how these techniques, said two people with knowledge of the plans. These plans have not been made by funding freeze. Another hampered freezing initiative was approximately $500,000 Rapid Response Fund OTF, developed to provide quick relief for civil society groups, protesters, journalists and human rights defenders who are under digital attack. The fund is open to applicants from all over the world, but it has more payments to groups in Hong Kong, since unrest began in June 2019. The arrest prevented at least one payment in Hong Kong by the Rapid Reaction Fund. Winning two people with knowledge of the plans described as a major project focused to help with their digital security groups of civil society in Hong Kong. The OTF is the open source technology, little known outside the world, but it helped its financing for the development of secure communication tools of demonstrators in Hong Kong and around the world. It ‘was an important early Funder of choice encrypted messaging application signal for many protesters Hong Kong. Between 2012 and 2016, which has donated nearly $3 million for the development of encryption protocol the application is built. (The application of at least $50 million in other private investments as received.) The OTF has also directed resources to projects to collect and store the information on Chinese social network Weibo and WeChat are censored before split contributions. It also has invested more than $6 million at goal, the encrypted Internet service, your browsing habits of entities, popular with dissidents from around the world can mask. “I would not be surprised if acts of freezing [] adversely protesters in Hong Kong and risk as well as many other people around the world use,” said the US Agency for Global Media officials spoke on condition over time of anonymity to protect their jobs. “I am almost certain that they would not take into account the times of the National Security Act. It was kind of Carte Blanche, the first day and I’m not sure whether they will really appreciate the operational impact.” Many of Hong Kong, especially the pro-democracy protesters who are already using virtual private networks (VPN), the web panel can help -Surfgewohnheiten of bargain authorities for help through the police monitoring. In addition, in May, when the news of the National Security Law drips first out, Google search for “VPN” peppered in Hong Kong. Hong Kong does not depend on Internet censorship in China’s Great Firewall, although some fear the impact of the security law has on digital freedom. “Protesters in Hong Kong geeks really overcome the tools they use,” said Harvey, a freelance programmer from Hong Kong, in the pro-democracy protests and has worked with the OTF in the past participated. He asked to use a pseudonym to protect his identity. “It ‘s always looming in the Hong Kong mind. It’ a place one country, two internet has, but everyone is afraid that [short] we do not.” US support for the democracy movement in Hong Kong is a topic delicate. During the 2019 protests protesters called openly for foreign intervention, waving flags of the United States demonstrations. But the Chinese government has often stated that “foreign forces” are behind the protests. Support as you came, came from bodies at arm’s length by the US government as the OTF and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), another non-profit organization funded primarily by Congress, which of $643,000 in Hong Kong programs issued in 2019 (described as the promotion of civil society in Hong Kong These programs ;. NED say aid sent to the protesters) in December, China announced sanctions against the NED and some other US -based nonprofit for “strong instigat [ing] extremely violent criminal activities,” according to a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The OTF has so far ignored the Chinese sanctions, although activists may fear the new law criminalizing protesters national security relations with foreign organizations if the authorities deem harmful to national security. But now, the OTF is paralyzed by its leadership, which insiders current and former work say it is a critical time. threatens the national security bill, protesters Hong Kong are “afraid that any speech or activities involved could be held criminal according to this new law, because the CCP is very vague in its formulation and expansive in its application, historically, of” those laws, says Libby Liu, the former CEO of the OTF, who came freeze on 13 June, in response to the financing. “We have hosted several projects in Hong Kong. So people could be caught in the net, take the government money the United States says it is a subversive behavior because the CCP fall already found these things in subversive activities or risk to national security” . So far Beijing has not released the full draft of the law on security. June 9 e-mail including the freezing of the financing of a line urgent notice demanding exceptions with high-level personnel USAGM be increased. In the organized system of personal response negotiating we sent an e-mail of all its contracts, including Hong Kong requests for funding to be freed. Since June 25, he had not received a reply to their request and freezing is still in place, two people with knowledge of the matter told TIME. Four days after she was abandoned we fired Liu and prevents deliver his month as he had expected. Laura Cunningham, the principal director OTF, were also rejected. On Tuesday, the OTF has filed a federal lawsuit argues package the legal authority for firefighters OTF and freezing funding was lacking. In a statement to time on Thursday USAGM declined to comment on the pending litigation, but high level for personal packaging decision of the fire, said: “All the actions that CEO Michael Pack are taking legal, and gets up from them “the layoffs are part of a larger shakeup in USAGM where experts fear part of a plan is to make the agency in a propaganda open for the US government. In early May has criticized Trump Voice of America for what he said, the failure of the station was to take a hard line on US adversaries. He then pushed the Senate, which had been delayed for the package for two years to confirm permission. After his confirmation, he shot Pack the heads of Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, and two USAGM other international broadcasters contains. The two most senior staff of Voice of America shares closed in anticipation of the arrival packet. In addition to senior staff as a clearing house, package replaces the advice bipartisan agency to monitor and stacked with conservatives. “He Trump administration, I think, heard how their position is not shown enough, or that the agency should do more commitment to their positions,” the USAGM officials spoke in TIME on condition of anonymity, said, “The fear now is that the political leadership is considering more than a messaging tool for Trump administration. ” Meanwhile, in opposition to the National Security Law still in Hong Kong, a US government segment behind the scenes support has been for more than two weeks off. “The Hong Kong people are so well prepared,” says Liu TIME. “Do you know what is the threat, and they have been protesting for over a year. You try to get everything ready. And we are not able to provide help if we can not be in business.” With reporting by AMY correction GUNIA / HONG KONG, June 26 the original version of this package of misrepresentation history date was confirmed by the Senate. It was June 9 June 5
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