A bipartisan group of House Representatives urged the Biden administration to sanction 28 officials, identified as responsible for infringing on human rights and persecuting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
“We write to express our profound concern over the recent actions by Hong Kong authorities that have further eroded democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in the region,” the group wrote in a July 17
letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
The group, led by Reps. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), chairman and ranking Democrat member of the House Select Committee on China, highlighted the impact of the new security law, known as
Article 23, on civil liberties in Hong Kong. They described its adoption as “a severe further encroachment on civil liberties in Hong Kong.”
The homegrown security law gives the city’s authorities sweeping power to target individuals for treason, espionage, theft of state secrets, sedition, and foreign interference. The lawmakers say the law effectively criminalizes “a wide range of activities and expressions fundamental to a democratic society.”
“This move clearly illustrates Hong Kong authorities’ willing contribution to the [Chinese Communist Party’s] strategy to undermine the freedoms that distinguish Hong Kong from mainland China,” they wrote.
Article 23, which took effect in March, expands on a
national security law introduced by the communist regime in Beijing in 2020. The sweeping legislation has already criminalized four vaguely defined categories of offenses, including secession, subversion, and collusion with a foreign country. Persons found guilty can face up to life in prison.
Since the national security law was enacted, Hong Kong has taken a sharp authoritarian turn, with most democratic politicians now either in jail or in
self-exile, dozens of civil society organizations folding, and international businesses leaving the city.
In a landmark case,
47 pro-democracy politicians and advocates were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion in 2021 under the national security law for their role in an unofficial primary election. On May 30, 14 of the 16 defendants who pleaded not guilty were
convicted and now face sentences ranging from three years to life in prison, while two were acquitted. Thirty-one of the 47 had previously pleaded guilty.
The group of U.S. lawmakers said the case “exemplifies the National Security Law being used to silence political opposition and intimidate those who advocate for democratic principles.”
“The U.S. government should act decisively to strengthen the credibility and effectiveness of our policy tools designed to support Hong Kong’s autonomy and the rights of its citizens,” the group wrote in the letter.
They urged the Departments of State and the Treasury to sanction 28 senior police officers and prosecutors in Hong Kong, including some judges and magistrates who had handled national security cases.
The Epoch Times reached out to the State Department and the Treasury for comments but didn’t receive a reply by publication time.
The U.S. government slapped new
visa restrictions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials on June 1, a day after the Hong Kong court handed down the verdict in the biggest national security case.
