Foreign governments criticize Hong Kong's sentencing of 45 activists.
Beijing defends it
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 [November 20, 2024]
By KANIS LEUNG
HONG KONG (AP) — Forty-five prominent activists in Hong Kong were
sentenced to jail for up to 10 years on Tuesday, sparking criticism from
foreign governments and rights groups. Beijing defended the decisions.
The democracy advocates were among 47 people charged under a
Beijing-imposed national security law in 2021 for their involvement in
an unofficial primary election to pick opposition candidates. In the
city's biggest national security case to date, they were accused of
agreeing to veto government-proposed budgets after potentially securing
a legislative majority to force a dissolution of the legislature and the
ouster of the city’s leader.
The case involved pro-democracy figures. Thirty-one of them pleaded
guilty to conspiracy to commit subversion. Fourteen others were
convicted following a long trial. Two were acquitted.
Australia
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her government is “gravely
concerned” by the sentences for Australian citizen Gordon Ng and the
other activists. Wong said Australia has expressed strong objections to
authorities in China and Hong Kong over the continuing broad application
of national security legislation.
Britain
Catherine West, minister for the Indo-Pacific in Britain’s Foreign
Office, said the sentencing demonstrates how Hong Kong authorities use
the security law to criminalize political dissent.
“Those sentenced today were exercising their right to freedom of speech,
of assembly and of political participation,” she said.
China
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said no one should be
allowed to use democracy as a pretext to engage in unlawful activities
and escape justice. Lin said certain Western countries ignored that they
maintain their own national security through judicial procedures while
unreasonably criticizing Hong Kong courts for "fairly implementing" the
security law.
“This severely violates and tramples on the spirit of the rule of law,”
he said at a news briefing.
He said Beijing firmly opposes what he described as certain Western
countries' interference in China's internal affairs and their attempts
to smear Hong Kong's rule of law.
European Union
The European Union called the sentencing “another unprecedented blow”
against the city's fundamental freedoms, democratic participation and
pluralism.
The bloc said in a statement that its members are deeply concerned about
the politically motivated prosecution of people engaging in peaceful
political activity. It said such activities should be legitimate in any
political system that respects basic democratic principles.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong leader John Lee said the activists' plan was to undermine,
destroy or overthrow the city's political system.
The government said the case was handled strictly in accordance with the
law.
Hong Kong Security Minister Chris Tang said the sentences reflect the
severity of the offenses. Tang said national security helps safeguard
the city's prosperity, so his government takes any violations of the law
seriously.
“Different people may have different judgments about whether the
sentencing is appropriate. But I think the important point is the rule
of law," he said in a news briefing.
Taiwan
Taiwan presidential office spokesperson Karen Kuo said democracy is not
a crime and condemned the Chinese government for using what she called
unjust procedures to suppress the political participation and freedom of
speech of Hong Kong pro-democracy figures.
The sentencing "not only breaks the promises of ‘50 years unchanged’ and
‘high degree of autonomy,’ but further proves that ‘one country, two
systems’ is unfeasible," she said in a statement.
When Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, Beijing
promised to retain its Western-style civil liberties for 50 years under
the governing principle of “one country, two systems.”
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Representatives from various consulates wait in line outside the
West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19,
2024, ahead of the sentencing in national security case. (AP
Photo/Chan Long Hei)
United Nations
Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the Office of the U.N. High
Commissioner for Human Rights, said he is gravely concerned by the
use of the security law to criminalize conduct protected by the
human rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and
association.
“We will continue to engage with the Chinese authorities as we have
done in the past," he said.
United States
The State Department said it “strongly” condemned the sentences and
called on Hong Kong authorities to “immediately and unconditionally
release the 45 individuals and similarly detained political
prisoners.”
“These harsh sentences erode confidence in Hong Kong’s judicial
system and harm the city’s international reputation,” said
spokesperson Matthew Miller on Tuesday.
The department said it plans to “impose new visa restrictions on
multiple Hong Kong officials responsible for implementing" the
security law.
The U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong said the defendants were
aggressively prosecuted and jailed for participating in normal
political activity protected under the city's mini-constitution, and
called for their immediate release.
In Washington, D.C., the chairs of the bipartisan
Congressional-Executive Commission said the sentences violate
international law and called for wide condemnation. Rep. Chris
Smith, a New Jersey Republican, and Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat
from Oregon, asked the Biden administration to sanction judges and
prosecutors responsible for “undermining democracy and human rights
in Hong Kong.”
“These politically motivated prosecutions are occurring at the same
time that dozens of U.S. CEOs are being wined and dined by Hong Kong
officials and urged to invest in Hong Kong," the lawmakers said.
“Each of these U.S. financial titans should be asked whether the
Hong Kong government’s mass detentions of political prisoners and
regular bulldozing of the rule of law undermine the city’s
attractiveness as an international commercial and financial center.”
Hong Kong's last British governor
Hong Kong's last British governor, Chris Patten, said in a statement
the sentencing was “not only an affront to the people of Hong Kong,
but those who value rights and freedoms around the world."
He condemned the “sham” sentences and urged the British government
not to allow the results of the case to go unnoticed. He said the
activists were an integral part of the city's pro-democracy
movement.
Amnesty International
Amnesty International China director Sarah Brooks said the people
convicted in the "politically motivated" case should not spend even
a day in jail.
“None of the 45 people sentenced have committed an internationally
recognized crime; they have been jailed only for exercising their
human rights,” she said.
Human Rights Watch
Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch, said,
“Running in an election and trying to win it is now a crime that can
lead to a decade in prison in Hong Kong.”
Wang said the harsh sentences reflect how fast Hong Kong's civil
liberties and judicial independence have nosedived in the past four
years since the security law was introduced.
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Associated Press writer Didi Tang in Washington, D.C., Jamey Keaten
in Geneva and Sylvia Hui in London contributed.
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