November 19, 2024 (WASHINGTON) – Members of Congress today joined the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation and other advocacy groups in calling for a swift and stern U.S. policy response to the harsh sentencing of Hong Kong political prisoners.
Earlier today, a panel of Hong Kong government-picked judges delivered sentences ranging from four to 10 years to the Hong Kong 47 group of pro-democracy activists, in a sham national security trial related to their participation in a 2020 democratic primary election. The court decision comes almost four years after the January 2021 arrest of the Hong Kong 47 group of political prisoners.
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, Hong Kong Watch, Hong Kong Democracy Council and DC4HK Washingtonians joined Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and the Congressional Executive Commission on China Chair Rep. Chris Smith in urging the U.S. government and international community to respond to the sentencing by imposing sanctions on Hong Kong government officials involved in the persecution of political prisoners in Hong Kong.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said: "To the Chinese government we say, you think you can arrest them, and we won’t speak about it, and it will go away. Here we are in front of the Capitol, speaking out about these peaceful protests.”
Rep. Chris Smith, Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China said: “We are outraged about what Xi Jinping and his cronies are doing to the great people of Hong Kong who are suffering under his dictatorship.”
The Hong Kong 47, including prominent activists and figures in the pro-democracy movement, were arrested for their involvement in organizing a democratic primary in 2020. The National Security Law, enacted by the Chinese government, has been widely criticized for silencing dissent and undermining the freedoms once promised to the people of Hong Kong.
The rally also emphasized the importance of continued advocacy and engagement with the international community to hold the Chinese Communist Party and Hong Kong authorities accountable for their abuse on Hong Kong's autonomy and to protect the rights of political prisoners.
Congressman Jim McGovern, a member of the Congressional Executive Commission on China and co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission said: “These disgraceful sentences confirm what we already knew: that under the National Security law imposed by the PRC, civil and political rights and judicial independence have completely disappeared in Hong Kong.”
Rep. Tom Suozzi said: "Just a few years ago Hong Kong was a vibrant, democratic, western-facing market economy, that people who enjoyed freedom lived their lives, succeeded economically, and spoke their minds freely. And now, what has happened? Bit by bit, efforts were made to surveil people, to incarcerate people, to harass people, to threaten people, and now we have these 45 people being jailed for speaking out and speaking their minds.”
Frances Hui, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator for the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation said: "These 47 individuals represent more than just names on a court docket. They are leaders, activists, legislators, campaigners, councilors, and ordinary citizens nurtured by Hong Kong's previously vibrant political scene. They dared to hope for a brighter future—a future where democracy thrives, not just in Hong Kong, but as a cornerstone of global values."
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