American, Australian, Canadian and British diplomats issued a joint statement on Sunday condemning the arrest of more than 50 Hong Kong activists, calling it evidence that the city’s new national security law is being used to target dissidents.
Hong Kong officials announced about 55 arrests last week, the largest mass prison since China imposed the new national security edict in 2020, the Associated Press reported. All but three were released on bail.
Most detainees had participated in an unofficial primary for a postponed legislative election, which the Hong Kong authorities claimed was a violation of the law.
“It is clear that the National Security Act is being used to eliminate opposing political differences and opinions,” says the joint statement by the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Mike PompeoPompeo, Cruz and other Trump allies condemn President Sanders’ Twitter ban on defending Trump’s impeachment: the insurrection will not be tolerated Pompeo meets with Biden’s nominee for the state as part of the transition MORE, Australia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marise Payne, British Secretary of State Dominic Raab, and Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, François-Philippe Champagne. “We ask the central authorities of Hong Kong and China to respect the rights and freedoms legally guaranteed to the people of Hong Kong, without fear of arrest and detention.”
Pompeo announced separately this weekend that the United States will remove diplomatic restrictions on its relationship with Taiwan, previously in force as a concession to Beijing, which considers the island Chinese territory.
Hong Kong officials accused diplomats of undue interference in sovereign affairs, saying “We are shocked by comments made by some foreign government officials who seemed to suggest that people with certain political beliefs should be immune from legal sanctions.”
Western diplomats consider national security law to be one of the Chinese government’s most explicit measures to erode Hong Kong’s autonomy since the British government surrendered control in 1997 under “one nation, two systems”. This followed protests that lasted for much of 2019 over a withdrawn bill that would have allowed some suspects to be extradited to China.