45 Hong Kong democracy activists jailed under Beijing’s national security law – Firstpost

45 prominent Hong Kong activists were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison on Tuesday; This drew criticism from foreign governments and rights groups, but Beijing defended the decisions.

The democracy advocates were among 47 people accused of participating in an unofficial primary election to elect opposition candidates in 2021 under a Beijing-imposed national security law. In the city’s largest national security case to date, they were accused of agreeing to indiscriminately veto government-proposed budgets after potentially gaining a legislative majority that would force the legislature to dissolve and then remove the city leader from office.

The case involved a wide range of pro-democracy figures. Of these, 31 pleaded guilty to the charge of 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 Chinese and Hong Kong authorities over the continued widespread application of its national security legislation.

England

British Foreign Office Indo-Pacific Secretary Catherine West said the sentence was a clear indication that 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 ignore the fact that they protect their national security through judicial procedures and unreasonably criticize Hong Kong courts for “fairly applying” the security law.

“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 the statement, it was expressed that he was deeply concerned about the politically motivated prosecution of the defendants due to their 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 decision clearly showed that the aim of 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.

In his statement, he said that “the sentence not only negates the 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 US Consulate in Hong Kong said the US strongly condemned the sentences, saying the defendants were aggressively prosecuted and jailed for participating in normal political activities protected under the city’s mini-constitution.

“We call on (Beijing) and Hong Kong authorities to stop politically motivated investigations against Hong Kong citizens and immediately release all political prisoners and individuals imprisoned for peacefully defending rights and freedoms,” the statement said.

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 the 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

Maya Wang, deputy China director at Human Rights Watch, said: “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.”

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.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)