Press Release: Hong Kong Watch Co-founder and Chief Executive Awarded International Religious Freedom Champion Award for Advocacy Leadership

Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Chief Executive Benedict Rogers will receive an “International Religious Freedom Champion” award tonight at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington, DC.

Mr Rogers, who has worked in the field of human rights advocacy for 27 years and has specialized in defending the right to freedom of religion or belief for people of all faiths and none for much of his life, is one of seven awardees at the 2021 IRF Summit initiated and co-chaired by former United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback and former Co-Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, Katrina Lantos Swett. He will receive the “IRF Champion Award for Advocacy Leadership”.

Before co-founding Hong Kong Watch in 2017 and joining the staff team in 2020, Mr Rogers worked full-time for the international human rights organisation CSW, where he advocated for freedom of religion or belief for people of all faiths and none in Burma/Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China and North Korea for almost two decades. Prior to that, as a journalist and activist, and as a student, he campaigned for human rights including religious freedom across Asia. In recent years he has been particularly active in advocating for the Uyghurs, Christians and other religious communities in China.

Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, Mr Rogers is unable to be in Washington, DC to receive the award in person, but will attend the ceremony online and deliver his acceptance speech at the ceremony at approximately 21.10 hrs EST (02.10am BST).

Benedict Rogers said: “I am deeply humbled and honoured to receive this award, alongside other religious freedom champions. I receive it not for myself but on behalf of everyone with whom I have had the privilege of working for the cause of freedom of religion or belief for all – people of all faiths and none, who defend the basic right for every human being to be able to choose, practice, share and change their beliefs. I salute the courageous human rights defenders – whether religious leaders or lawyers, journalists, civil society activists or others – who defend this basic human right in dangerous conditions on the frontlines of conflict, repression and persecution. And as I focus more of my energies currently in the fight for freedom for Hong Kong, I am conscious that my experience in defending freedom of religion or belief around the world may well be increasingly required there too, for as freedom itself is dismantled, freedom of religion or belief is inevitably undermined. It has been my privilege to work with real heroes across Asia and the world for almost all my adult life, and this award – which is really for them – inspires and encourages me to continue in that fight.”