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Oxford University and five other insti-
tutions have been criticised for adver-
tising jobs with the Hong Kong police.
Bath, Exeter, Leicester, Manchester,
Oxford and Warwick universities have
posted job advertisements for the force,
despite its role in enforcing security
laws that punish dissent against Beijing.
The adverts offer Hong Kong resi-
dent graduates the chance to become
probationary inspectors, according to
documents acquired under Freedom of
Information requests.
The force is being investigated for
human rights violations against
humanitarian workers by the all-party
parliamentary group on Hong Kong,
which is due to report next month. It
will detail a “stunning array of abuses
that are routinely enacted”, according
to Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle,
the group’s co-chairwoman. She called
the adverts “deeply disturbing”.
Beijing passed the national security
law last month. It gives the Hong Kong
police extra powers to enforce the law,
which bans acts of sedition, subversion,
terrorism and foreign collusion, allow-
ing them to raid premises without court
warrants and demand information
from political groups operating outside
the city. Unusually, the law can be
broken beyond its borders by residents
and non-residents, who can be arrested
on arrival in Hong Kong.
Kate Allen, the UK director of Am-
nesty International, said: “Promoting
Universities offer
jobs in Hong Kong
that punish dissent
jobs with a police force responsible for
cracking down on peaceful democracy
protesters and for rounding up people
under a draconian Beijing-imposed
security law, links UK universities to
human rights abuse in Hong Kong.
“Universities are involved in promot-
ing the values of open debate and free
speech — both of which are increasing-
ly under threat in Hong Kong.”
She urged the universities to “seri-
ously reconsider” whether the job
adverts were in line with their values.
Some universities have withdrawn
the adverts. Nottingham, the first for-
eign university to establish a campus in
China, withdrew the most recent ad-
vert for not meeting its standards. It
said that “in light of events in Hong
Kong”, it would suspend Hong Kong
police job listings and would not carry
further listings pending review.
The London School of Economics,
Sheffield and York withdrew job listings
recently. University College London re-
jected them when they were submitted.
Chinese students contribute more
than a quarter of total tuition fee
income at ten elite universities, accord-
ing to the think tank Onward, which
said it was a “worrying dependence” on
one source of funds.
All universities have been contacted
about the adverts. Manchester Uni-
versity said: “All roles must abide by the
principles of the Institute of Student
Employers and the Association of
Graduate Careers Advisory Services as
well as our own guidelines.”Henry Dyer, Rosemary Bennett
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