Combating Communism with Frances Hui

Despite the Hong Kong government’s attempts to issue a HK$1 million bounty for her arrest, alleging in 2023 that she “incited secession” and “colluded with foreign forces,” Frances Hui continues her work to defend freedom in Hong Kong.

Frances Hui is a Washington, D.C.-based Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and human rights advocate who champions international policy, political prisoners, religious freedoms, and cultural identity. Last week’s annual candlelight vigil for the victims of the Tiananmen Square Massacre was part of her work — and it culminated in the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation’s accolading Frances the Dissident Human Rights Award. This award is fitting for her ongoing work, as it reminds us that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) suppression of freedom and free speech continues.

Frances Hui has spent a decade fighting for Hong Kong’s freedom — and the CCP has spent nearly as long trying to silence her. She began her activism at the young age of 14, and by 2019, she was organizing global solidarity efforts during Hong Kong’s massive anti-extradition protests. When the National Security Law was implemented in 2020, Frances was forced to flee to the United States, where she became the first Hong Kong activist to receive asylum in America. However, she didn’t fade into obscurity; she kept up the fight, leading to the Hong Kong government issuing the bounty for her arrest. Today, she serves as the Policy and Advocacy Manager at the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, and also the Director of We The Hongkongers. The CCP still has her and others in their sights.

Other opponents of the CCP spoke at the vigil, including Arthur Liu, a Chinese dissident and activist, and Jan Jekielek, a senior editor at the Epoch Times. Jekielek expressed: "We must go further by remembering Tiananmen, standing firmly with all those who resist. We honor the dead and keep the flame of hope alive.” The flame of hope burns bright despite the CCP’s political oppression of its citizens.

Frances has exposed the Chinese government’s abuses to the world. “We continue to gather here to mark this day, to mourn the death, but also to remind the American public that this is an ongoing issue — it’s still happening — we have to see China as what it is. It’s ruled by a communist regime that has blood on its hands,” she told Young Voices.

It’s fitting that Frances has earned the Dissident Human Rights Award. She has modeled bravery, persistence, and dedication in her fight against communism, no matter where she lives or how high the stakes. The award platforms and amplifies the voices of Frances and other dissidents like her outside of China; and it shows how Americans are allies in the fight for freedom in China — whether on the mainland or in Hong Kong.