The U.S. State Department condemned the latest mass arrests in Hong Kong after local police broke up protests on Oct. 1, the date that marks the 71st anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s takeover of China.
She added: “By repressing peaceful public opinion, the Hong Kong government once again shows its complicity with the Chinese Communist Party’s evisceration of Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms of its people.”
Hong Kong police said in a statement on late Thursday night that least 86 people were arrested across the city, on charges such as taking part in “unauthorized assemblies,” “possessing offensive weapons,” and other allegations. Among those arrests were four district councillors. All have since been released on bail.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997, with Beijing promising to retain the city’s autonomy and freedoms for 50 years under the model of “one country, two systems.” However, international critics and locals have said that the national security law has spelled the end for the city’s autonomy.
Hong Kong has been rocked by tumultuous protests against Beijing since millions took to the streets in June 2019 to oppose a since-scrapped extradition bill. According to Hong Kong police data, 10,022 people have been arrested from the site of protests from June 9 last year to Sept. 15 this year.
The State Department said police arrests of protesters were using “law enforcement for political purposes, which is contrary to the preservation of the rule of law, and respect for human rights, including the rights to assembly and free expression,” Ortagus said in her statement.
She concluded: These arrests again underscore Beijing’s complete dismantlement of One Country Two Systems that the PRC [Pepole’s Republic of China] promised to uphold.”
The bill would also call for the expedited processing of refugee applications for Hongkongers fleeing the city, and the U.S. administration would work with ally countries to coordinate efforts to provide refuge to Hongkongers fleeing persecution.