U.S., Australian, Canadian and British diplomats issued a joint statement on Sunday condemning the arrest of more than 50 Hong Kong activists, saying it was proof that the city’s new strict national security law was used to address dissidents.
Hong Kong officials announced about 55 arrests last week, the largest mass arrest since China imposed the new national security edict in 2020, The Associated Press reported. All but three have been released on bail.
Most of the detainees had participated in unofficial primaries for a postponed legislative election since then, which Hong Kong authorities claimed was a violation of the law.
“It is clear that national security law is being used to eliminate dissent and opposing political views,” the joint statement by the US secretary of state says. Mike Pompeo
Mike Pompeo Pompeo, Cruz, and other Trump allies condemn President Sanders’ Twitter ban advocating that they push to accuse Trump: insurrection will not be tolerated. Pompeo meets with Biden’s candidate for state as part of the MORE transition, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, British Secretary of State Dominic Raab, and Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne. “We call on the central authorities of Hong Kong and China to respect the legally guaranteed rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong without fear of being arrested and detained.”
Pompeo announced this weekend separately that the U.S. will remove diplomatic restrictions on relations with Taiwan, which previously existed as a concession to Beijing, which considers the island Chinese territory.
Hong Kong officials accused diplomats of inadequate interference in sovereign affairs and said: “We are appalled by the statements of some overseas government officials who seemed to suggest that people with certain political beliefs should be immune to sanctions. legal ”.
Western diplomats have called the national security law one of the Chinese government’s most explicit moves to erode Hong Kong’s autonomy since the British government handed over control in 1997 under a “one nation, two systems” rule. It followed protests that lasted much of 2019 over a bill withdrawn since then that would have allowed the extradition of some suspects to China.