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Benedict Richard Victor Rogers (born 14 June 1974) is a British human rights activist and journalist based in London. His work focuses on Asia, specialising particularly on Burma, North Korea and Indonesia, but has also covered the Maldives, East Timor, Pakistan and Hong Kong. He is a regular contributor to ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', ''
The New York Times
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'' and ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' and has appeared on
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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,
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
,
Sky
The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space.
In the field of astronomy, ...
,
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
and other television and radio stations.
He is the co-founder and deputy chairman of the
Conservative Party's human rights commission and the co-founder of the
.
He is also the East Asia Team Leader at
Christian Solidarity Worldwide
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a human rights organisation which specialises in religious freedom and works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs, persecuted for other religious belief or persecuted for lack of beli ...
and the founder of
Hong Kong Watch
Hong Kong Watch is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in the United Kingdom that was established to monitor the conditions of human rights, freedoms and rule of law in Hong Kong. It was founded by British human rights activist Benedict ...
. He is also a member of the advisory group of the
Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) is an international, cross-party alliance of parliamentarians from democratic countries focused on relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC), and specifically, the Chinese Communist Party ...
(IPAC) and an advisor to the
World Uyghur Congress
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) is an international organization of exiled Uyghur groups that claims to "represent the collective interest of the Uyghur people" both inside and outside of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's ...
.
On 31July 2020 it was announced that he will be appointed to the new role of Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch late September the same year.
He has written three books which focus on Burma and co-authored two others on Christian human rights obligations.
Early life and education
Rogers was born in London
and graduated in 1996 with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
in Modern History and Politics from
Royal Holloway
Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...
and a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...
in China Studies in 1997 from the
School of Oriental and African Studies
SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury a ...
(SOAS), both of which are
constituent colleges
A collegiate university is a university in which functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges. Historically, the first collegiate university was the University of Paris and its first college was the C ...
of the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
.
[
]
Career
Rogers is the East Asia Team Leader at the international human rights organisation Christian Solidarity Worldwide
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a human rights organisation which specialises in religious freedom and works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs, persecuted for other religious belief or persecuted for lack of beli ...
(CSW), where he oversees the organisation's work in the rest of the region.
In 2010, he spent five days in Pyongyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...
, North Korea, with Lord Alton of Liverpool and Baroness Cox of Queensbury, both members of the House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
. They met with North Korean officials and summarised their concerns about the nation's human rights abuses. They encouraged officials to invite Marzuki Darusman
Marzuki Darusman (born 26 January 1945) is an Indonesian lawyer and human rights campaigner. After fifteen years as a member of the People's Representative Council with President Suharto's Golkar party, he served the country's prosecutor gene ...
, who was the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the time, into the country to open prison camps in North Korea
The human rights record of North Korea is often considered to be the worst in the world and has been globally condemned, with the United Nations, the European Union and groups such as Human Rights Watch all critical of the country's record. Most ...
to international monitors including the International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
(ICRC) and to suspend executions. In 2011 he co-founded the (ICNK). He has also lived in and travelled to East Timor and China, and previously worked on Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Rogers regularly briefs senior Government ministers and officials, UK members of parliament, the European Union, United Nations officials, US Congressional offices and the State Department on human rights and freedom of religion in Asia. He has also testified in hearings at the House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
, the European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
, the National Diet of Japan and the United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
. He has also organised several investigative humanitarian trips to Burma's borders for British and European parliamentarians.
He is a regular contributor to international media, including ''The Wall Street Journal'', '' International Herald Tribune'' and ''The Huffington Post''. He wrote for the Hong Kong Standard
''The Standard'' is an English-language free newspaper in Hong Kong with a daily circulation of 200,450 in 2012. It was formerly called the ''Hongkong Standard'' and changed to ''HKiMail'' during the Internet boom but partially reverted to ''T ...
between 2000 and 2002.
Barred entry to Hong Kong
On 11 October 2017, Rogers was barred entry to Hong Kong. He arrived at Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport is Hong Kong's main airport, built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or ''Chek Lap Kok Airport'', to distinguish ...
on a flight from Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
but was escorted away by immigration officials and placed on a flight back to Thailand. He had previously been warned by a contact in the Chinese embassy in London that he might be refused entry to Hong Kong. Rogers, who lived and worked as a journalist in Hong Kong between 1997 and 2002, has criticised China's increasing threat to democracy in Hong Kong and has campaigned against the imprisonment of pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong
Joshua Wong Chi-fung (; born 13 October 1996) is a Hong Kong activist and politician. He served as secretary-general of the pro-democracy party Demosistō until it disbanded following the implementation of the Hong Kong national security la ...
, Nathan Law
Nathan Law Kwun-chung ( zh, link=no, t=羅冠聰; born 13 July 1993) is an activist and politician from Hong Kong. As a former student leader, he has been chairman of the Representative Council of the Lingnan University Students' Union (LUS ...
and Alex Chow
Alex Chow Yong-kang (; born 18 August 1990) is a social activist from Hong Kong and current doctoral candidate in geography at the University of California, Berkeley.[Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...]
demanded an explanation from the Hong Kong authorities and the Chinese government. Hua Chunying
Hua Chunying (; born 24 April 1970) is a Chinese official and former diplomat serving as spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China since 2012 and as the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2021. H ...
, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China () is the first-ranked executive department of the State Council of the Chinese government, responsible for the foreign relations of the People's Republic of China. It is led ...
, later responded that the move was within China's sovereignty and said: "Whether this person's trip to Hong Kong involved an intention to intervene in Hong Kong's internal affairs and judicial independence – he knows very well himself."
The following day, Rogers announced he would form a non-governmental organisation (NGO) to monitor the rule of law and human rights in Hong Kong
Human rights protection is enshrined in the Basic Law and its Bill of Rights Ordinance (Cap.383). By virtue of the Bill of Rights Ordinance and Basic Law Article 39, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is put in ...
. Hong Kong Watch
Hong Kong Watch is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in the United Kingdom that was established to monitor the conditions of human rights, freedoms and rule of law in Hong Kong. It was founded by British human rights activist Benedict ...
was launched at a reception hosted in Speaker's House, House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
on 11 December 2017.
In March 2022, the Hong Kong police accused Rogers of "jeopardising China's national security" and told him that he faces charges of "collusion with foreign forces" (with a penalty of three years in jail) if he ever returns to the city.
Works
Books
* ''A Land Without Evil: Stopping the Genocide of Burma's Karen People'' (2004) ()
* ''On the Side of Angels: Justice, Human Rights and Kingdom Mission'' – with Joseph D'souza
Joseph D'souza is an Indian bishop, missionary, and Christian and Dalit rights activist. As of 2018, he was International President of the Dignity Freedom Network (DFN) (previously known as Dalit Freedom Network), President of the All India Chri ...
(2007) ()
* ''Than Shwe: Unmasking Burma's Tyrant'' (2010, Silkworm Books) ()
* ''The Very Stones Cry Out: The Persecuted Church – Pain, Passion and Praise'' – with Baroness Caroline Cox
Caroline Anne Cox, Baroness Cox, (née McNeill Love; born 6 July 1937) is a cross-bench member of the British House of Lords. She is also the founder of an organisation called Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART). Cox was created a Life Peer ...
(2011) ()
* ''Burma: A Nation at the Crossroads'' (2012, Random House
Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
) ()
* ''The China Nexus: Thirty Years In and Around Chinese Communist Party's Tyranny'' (2022, Optimum Publishing Internation) ()
Reports
* ''Carrying the Cross: The military regime's campaign of restriction, discrimination and persecution against Christians in Burma'' (CSW, 2007)
* ''Indonesia: Pluralism in Peril – The Rise of Religious Intolerance Across the Archipelago'' (CSW, 2014)
* ''Burma's Identity Crisis'' (CSW, 2019)
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Benedict
1974 births
Living people
British human rights activists
British male journalists
British expatriates in China
British expatriates in East Timor
British expatriates in Hong Kong
British expatriates in the United States
British Roman Catholics
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism
Journalists from London
Alumni of Royal Holloway, University of London
Alumni of SOAS University of London