Foreign governments are criticizing Hong Kong's sentencing of 45 activists. Beijing defends him

HONG KONG (AP) — 45 of Hong Kong’s leading activists They were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison It sparked criticism from foreign governments and human rights groups on Tuesday. Beijing defended the decisions.

Democracy defenders were among 47 people charged Under a national security law imposed by Beijing in 2021 unofficial primary election electing opposition candidates. In the city’s largest national security case to date, they were accused of agreeing to veto budgets proposed by the government after potentially gaining a legislative majority to force it to dissolve the legislature and remove the city leader from office.

Related case pro-democracy figures. Of these, 31 pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit subversion. After a lengthy trial, 14 more people were convicted. Two people were acquitted.

Australia

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said her government was “gravely concerned” by the sentences handed down to Australian citizen Gordon Ng and other activists. Wong said Australia had expressed strong objections to authorities in China and Hong Kong over the continued widespread application of national security legislation.

England

British Foreign Office Indo-Pacific Secretary Catherine West said the sentence showed how Hong Kong authorities were using the security law to criminalize political dissent.

“Those convicted today were exercising their freedom of expression, assembly and political participation,” he said.

Chinese

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said no one should be allowed to use democracy as an excuse to engage in unlawful activities and evade justice. Lin said some Western countries have unreasonably criticized Hong Kong courts for “fairly applying” the security law while ignoring the fact that they protect their own national security through judicial procedures.

“This seriously violates and tramples on the spirit of the rule of law,” he said at a news briefing.

He said Beijing was firmly opposed to what he described as interference by some Western countries in China’s internal affairs and attempts to denigrate Hong Kong’s rule of law.

European Union

The European Union called the sentence an “unprecedented blow” to the city’s fundamental freedoms, democratic participation and pluralism.

In its statement, the bloc stated that its members are deeply concerned about politically motivated prosecutions of people engaged in peaceful political activities. He 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 reflected the seriousness of the crimes. Tang said national security helps protect the city’s prosperity, so his government takes law violations seriously.

“Different people may have different judgments about whether punishment is appropriate. “But I think the important thing is the rule of law,” he said.

Taiwan

Karen Kuo, a spokeswoman for Taiwan’s presidential office, said democracy was not a crime and condemned the Chinese government for using what she called unfair procedures to suppress the political participation and freedom of expression of Hong Kong pro-democracy figures.

He said in a statement that the sentence “not only undoes promises of ’50 years of unchanged’ and ‘high degree of autonomy’, but also proves that ‘one country, two systems’ is not possible.”

When Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, Beijing promised to preserve its Western-style civil liberties for 50 years under the “one country, two systems” principle.

United Nations

Jeremy Laurence, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said he was seriously concerned about the use of the security law to criminalize conduct protected by human rights, such as freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and freedom of association.

“We will continue our contacts with Chinese officials 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 undermine confidence in Hong Kong’s judicial system and damage the city’s international reputation,” spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement Tuesday.

The ministry said it plans to “impose new visa restrictions on multiple Hong Kong officials responsible for enforcing” the security law.

The US Consulate in Hong Kong said the defendants were aggressively prosecuted and jailed for participating in normal political activities protected under the city’s mini-constitution and called for their immediate release.

In Washington, D.C., bipartisan Congressional-Executive Committee chairmen said the penalties violated international law and called for widespread condemnation. Republican Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey and Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon asked the Biden administration to impose sanctions on judges and prosecutors responsible for “undermining democracy and human rights in Hong Kong.”

“These politically motivated prosecutions come at a time when dozens of U.S. CEOs have been baited by Hong Kong authorities and encouraged to invest in Hong Kong,” the lawmakers said. “To each of these US financial giants, the Hong Kong government’s mass detention of political prisoners and persistent subversion of the rule of law undermines the city’s appeal as an international business and financial centre.”

The last British governor of Hong Kong

Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, said in a statement that the sentence was “an insult not only to the people of Hong Kong, but also to those who value rights and freedoms around the world”.

He condemned the “sham” sentences and called on the British government not to let the consequences of the case go unnoticed. He said activists are an integral part of the city’s pro-democracy movement.

Amnesty International

Amnesty International China Director Sarah Brooks said people convicted in the “politically motivated” case should not spend even a day in prison.

“None of the 45 people punished committed an internationally recognized crime; “They were imprisoned just for exercising their human rights,” he said.

Human Rights Watch

“Participating in an election and trying to win it is now a crime in Hong Kong that can lead to a ten-year prison sentence,” said Maya Wang, deputy China director at Human Rights Watch.

Wang said the harsh sentences reflected how rapidly Hong Kong’s civil liberties and judicial independence have fallen in the four years since the security law was enacted.

Associated Press writers Didi Tang in Washington, D.C., Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Sylvia Hui in London contributed.