Lord Patten urges Sir Keir Starmer to condemn 'sham' sentences handed down to 45 Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners

Hong Kong’s last governor, Lord Patten, has called on the British government to condemn the “sham” sentences handed down to 45 Hong Kong politicians and activists during Sir Keir Starmer’s meeting with the Chinese president.

Former opposition pro-democracy politicians, social workers, activists and academics will be sentenced on Tuesday for conspiring to overthrow power through an unofficial “primary election” held four years ago.

People are lining up to attend their sentencing, which will see them face life imprisonment.

It is Hong Kong’s largest and longest-running investigation under the national security law imposed by Beijing, which saw months of mass protests, police brutality and arrests in 2020 and 2021.

Latest status of the policy: Starmer becomes first Prime Minister to meet Xi in almost seven years

45 of them, dubbed the “Hong Kong 47” after they were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion in January 2021, will be sentenced this week after two men were acquitted in May this year.

Lord Patten, boss of British NGO Hong Kong Watch, said the sentences handed down tomorrow would be “sham” and called on the prime minister to speak out against them.

Sir Keir met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Rio on Monday and told him that “a strong UK-China relationship is important for both countries”.

The British Prime Minister told reporters on Sunday that he intends to maintain a “serious, pragmatic” relationship with Beijing.

Lord Patten said: “The punishment of 45 of 47 Hong Kong democrats is an insult not only to the people of Hong Kong, but also to those who value rights and freedoms around the world.

“These brave individuals were an integral part of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and were peacefully supported by votes by the thousands.

“I absolutely condemn these fraudulent sentences handed down as a result of non-jury trials and point to the destruction of freedoms of assembly, expression and the press in Hong Kong.

“The UK government must not allow the consequences of this case to go unnoticed or uncondemned.”

Historic meeting between Starmer and Xi

Sir Keir’s meeting with President Xi in Rio is the first meeting of any prime minister in more than six years.

The prime minister and foreign minister, David Lammy, have criticized China in the past over alleged human rights abuses, particularly against Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Relations between Britain and China have froze over the past decade as the Conservative government spoke out against human rights abuses and concerns grew about national security risks from Chinese investment.

Sir Keir appears to prioritize business; China is the UK’s sixth largest trading partner, accounting for 5% of its £86.5bn trade in goods and services.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said Sir Keir “will continue to raise human rights concerns in China” but did not say whether Hong Kong would be brought up.

47 people in Hong Kong jailed for nearly four years

Most of the 47 people from Hong Kong have been detained since their arrest in early 2021.

One of the group’s most famous members is Nobel Peace Prize nominee Joshua Wong, a student protest leader who led the now-defunct political group Demosisto.

While 16 of the group pleaded not guilty, 14 were found guilty after a 118-day non-jury trial. Those found guilty will be punished along with the 31 people who pleaded guilty.

They were arrested after holding a primary election in July 2020 aimed at helping pro-democracy politicians capture a majority in the 2021 Legislative Council elections.

Prosecutors said that if they win a majority in parliament, Democrats plan to “indiscriminately” veto bills that would force the resignation of the chief executive and a government shutdown, including the annual budget.

National security judges ruled the move would plunge Hong Kong into a “constitutional crisis”.

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