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The Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) passed Senate Resolution 98, which condemns the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s destruction of Hong Kong’s democracy, rule of law, and civil liberties.
The resolution, authored by SFRC Chairman James Risch (R-ID) and Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), affirms bipartisan Congressional support for the people of Hong Kong and draws critical attention to the worsening human rights crisis under Beijing’s authoritarian rule.
Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation U.S. Director Jonathan Stivers said: “Chairman Risch and Ranking Member Shaheen are to be commended for authoring this bipartisan resolution supporting the people of Hong Kong. The U.S. Senate is now on record condemning repression in Hong Kong and calling for the release of all political prisoners, including Jimmy Lai. It is our expectation that the Trump Administration will soon follow up by holding Chinese and Hong Kong officials accountable for their actions.”
In London, parliamentarians debated efforts to better protect British journalists like Jimmy Lai from arbitrary detention while working overseas and called on the UK government to confront Chinese Communist Party (CCP) repression at home and in Hong Kong.
Gregory Stafford MP urged fellow parliamentarians to support the ‘Jimmy Lai Bill’, which aims to legislate a right for British journalists detained overseas to receive consular assistance. Formally known as the Consular Assistance (Journalists) Bill, the proposed legislation was introduced by Blair McDougall MP with assistance from the CFHK Foundation.
Luke Taylor MP (standing) was among several parliamentarians to take part in a debate on UK China relations, led by Gregory Stafford MP,
which featured discussion of Hong Kong and the ‘Jimmy Lai Bill.’ (Parliament TV)
UK – Hong Kong
The CFHK Foundation issued a statement in response to the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) releasing its six-month report into Hong Kong’s implementation of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. While the report raises “concern” over the sentencing of the Hong Kong 45 and the persecution of British citizen and pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai, as well as thousands of other political prisoners, it failed to hold Hong Kong authorities accountable for their crackdown on civil liberties and contravention of the treaty’s terms.
CFHK Foundation UK Director Mark Sabah said: “The six-monthly report is an opportunity for us to review the FCDO’s priorities and see what it considers to be the big issues. Once again, there are no concrete actions to counteract any of the ongoing concerns held by so many people about the UK’s relationship with Hong Kong and China. The British government must realise that no action means more interference and more threats from the CCP.”
The CFHK Foundation signed a joint letter to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson detailing the CCP’s systematic silencing of students from China and Hong Kong on UK campuses and urging the full implementation of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 in order to protect them.
The Telegraph picked up the story with an account of a Chinese student who, upon his return to China, was interrogated and forced to sign a confession for protesting against Xi Jinping’s COVID-19 policies while in London.
Writing for The Atlantic, Cora Engelbrecht spoke with 30 UK-based Hong Kong activists, including CFHK Foundation staffer Chloe Cheung, for a deep dive on the CCP-led transnational repression that has pursued them in exile.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, the city’s biggest pro-democracy party, scheduled an April meeting for members to vote on whether to disband the party.
Australia – Hong Kong
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong described a letter urging colleagues of Hong Kong activist Ted Hui to hand him over to Chinese officials for a HK$1 million reward as “reprehensible”, and a “threat to our national sovereignty” and “the safety and security of Australians.”