Foreign governments criticise Hong Kong’s sentencing of 45 activists; Beijing defends it

The lawsuit progressive pro-democracy figures crossed the spectrum. Thirty-one of them pleaded blameworthy to the complaint of conspiracy to perpetrate subversion. Fourteen others were convicted pursuing a agelong trial. Two were acquitted.

Australia

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her authorities was “gravely concerned” by the sentences for Australian national Gordon Ng and the different activists. Wong said Australia has expressed beardown objections to the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities implicit the continuing wide exertion of nationalist information legislation.

China

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said nary 1 should beryllium allowed to usage ideology arsenic a pretext to prosecute successful unlawful activities and flight justice. Lin said definite Western countries ignored the information that they support their ain nationalist information done judicial procedures portion unreasonably criticising Hong Kong courts for “fairly implementing” the information law.

“This severely violates and tramples connected the tone of the regularisation of law,” helium said astatine a quality briefing. He said Beijing firmly opposes what helium described arsenic definite Western countries’ interference successful China’s interior affairs and their attempts to smear Hong Kong’s regularisation of law.

European Union

The European Union called the sentencing “another unprecedented blow” against the city’s cardinal freedoms, antiauthoritarian information and pluralism.

It said successful a connection that it is profoundly acrophobic astir the politically motivated prosecution of the defendants for peaceful governmental activity. It said specified activities should beryllium morganatic successful immoderate governmental strategy that respects basal antiauthoritarian principles.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Security Minister Chris Tang said the sentences reflected the severity of the offences. Tang said nationalist information helps safeguard the city’s prosperity, truthful his authorities takes immoderate violations of the instrumentality seriously. “Different radical whitethorn person antithetic judgments astir whether the sentencing is appropriate. But I deliberation the important constituent is the regularisation of law,” helium said successful a quality briefing.

Taiwan

Taiwan statesmanlike bureau spokesperson Karen Kuo said ideology is not a transgression and condemned the Chinese authorities for utilizing what she called unjust procedures to suppress the governmental information and state of code of Hong Kong pro-democracy figures.
The sentencing “not lone breaks the promises of 50 years unchanged’ and precocious grade of autonomy,’ but further proves that 1 country, 2 systems’ is unfeasible,” she said successful a statement.

When Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese regularisation successful 1997, Beijing promised to clasp its Western-style civilian liberties for 50 years nether the governing rule of “one country, 2 systems”.

United States

The US Consulate successful Hong Kong said the US powerfully condemned the sentences, saying the defendants were aggressively prosecuted and jailed for participating successful mean governmental enactment protected nether the city’s mini-constitution.

“We telephone connected (Beijing) and Hong Kong authorities to cease politically motivated prosecutions of Hong Kong citizens and to instantly merchandise each governmental prisoners and individuals jailed for their peaceful advocacy for rights and freedoms,” it said successful a statement.

Hong Kong’s past British governor

Hong Kong’s past British governor, Chris Patten, said the sentencing was “not lone an affront to the radical of Hong Kong, but those who worth rights and freedoms astir the world” successful a statement.

He condemned the “sham” sentences, calling connected the British authorities not to let the results of the lawsuit to spell unnoticed. He said the activists were an integral portion of the city’s pro-democracy movement.

Amnesty International

Amnesty International China manager Sarah Brooks said the radical convicted successful the “politically motivated” lawsuit should not walk adjacent a time successful jail.

“None of the 45 radical sentenced person committed an internationally recognised crime; they person been jailed lone for exercising their quality rights,” she said.

Human Rights Watch

Maya Wang, subordinate China manager astatine Human Rights Watch, said, “Running successful an predetermination and trying to triumph it is present a transgression that tin pb to a decennary successful situation successful Hong Kong.” Wang said the harsh sentences bespeak however accelerated Hong Kong’s civilian liberties and judicial independency person nosedived successful the past 4 years since the information instrumentality was introduced.