By Jerome A. Cohen
Here is an open letter addressed to Carrie Lam from parliamentarians and officials from 18 countries. It is a powerful letter and a powerful idea whose time may be here. In particular, the letter calls for an independent inquiry into police brutality, and if the Hong Kong Government continues to reject any effort in this respect, the letter calls on the international community to establish an international, independent inquiry mechanism instead.
The Hong Kong Government, the PRC and the Hong Kong community seem unable to break the increasingly dangerous and damaging stalemate. Organization of an independent international inquiry in cooperation with courageous and informed members of the Hong Kong community may help to stimulate some creative response from the beleaguered Hong Kong Government. Of course, there are great practical difficulties in carrying out such an effort, but the effort itself may prove productive.
I only know or know about some of the signers but would be glad to see Helena Kennedy, for example, take the lead. She is a dynamic, articulate human rights lawyer and Oxford educator as well as a member of the House of Lords well-equipped to take on this extraordinary but compelling challenge.