S07E03 Jason Ng on Protest and Free Speech in Corporations

What this episode covers

Ever since the Hong Kong government introduced a controversial law that would establish rules for extradition between China and Hong Kong, an overwhelmingly large number of people in Hong Kong have been protesting against it. While the Hong Kong government has since withdrawn the controversial extradition rules, the demonstrations have not stopped. Companies in Hong Kong - local and multinational - faced a unique challenge at the time of the protests: should they allow their employees to express their views peacefully and participate in the protests? Initially, many did; but following pressure from Beijing and in some cases from shareholders, companies began to restrict their employees from openly associating themselves with the protests. Of the many such instances, perhaps the most well-known case involves Jason Ng, a corporate lawyer who worked at a leading international bank. A blog he wrote, critical of the law, caught the eye of the authorities in Beijing, and the situation escalated, leading to Ng leaving the bank. In this conversation with IHRB's Salil Tripathi at a literature festival in Bergen, Norway, Ng explains what happened in his personal case, the limits of freedom of expression, and how companies should navigate the space, ensuring freedom of expression of their employees. It is important for companies to seek external help, he says, because complying with unjust laws serves neither the company nor the society. Business has the responsibility to respect human rights in all contexts, but lacks the capacity to act on its own, he adds.

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