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Former Democratic Party lawmakers Andrew Wan on the left, Lam Cheuk-ting on the left and Helena Wong on the right at a news conference after being released on bail.
AP Photo / Kin Cheung, Archive
The United States joined Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada on Sunday to condemn the recent arrest of dozens of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.
Fifty-five people – including American human rights lawyer John Clancey – were arrested last week for participating in unofficial election primaries for legislative elections, in violation of a Chinese law aimed at suppressing dissent in semi-autonomous Hong Kong.
“It is clear that the National Security Act is being used to eliminate divergences and opposing political views,” said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his counterparts in the three other nations in a joint letter issued on Sunday.
“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.”
The prisoners under the law were not formally charged and almost all were released without bail.
The Hong Kong government responded with a statement of its own, defending law enforcement.
“We are shocked by the comments made by some foreign government officials who seemed to suggest that people with certain political beliefs should be immune from legal sanctions,” the statement said.
In 2019, Hong Kong was rocked by months of often violent protests demanding a more democratic government.
The Chinese Communist Party has been criticized for increasingly oppressive practices, even while judging nations like the United States.
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