CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – Foreign ministers of Australia, the United States, Great Britain and Canada issued a joint statement on Sunday expressing their “grave concern” over the arrest of 55 democracy activists and supporters in Hong Kong. week.
The arrests were by far the largest of such actions under a national security law imposed on the semi-autonomous territory by China just over six months ago.
“It is clear that the National Security Act is being used to eliminate dissent and opposing political views,” said the four foreign ministers.
Chinese and Hong Kong governments say the law is necessary to restore order in a city shaken in 2019 by months of often violent anti-government protests demanding more democracy.
“We are shocked by the comments of some overseas government officials who seemed to suggest that people with certain political beliefs should be immune from legal sanctions,” the Hong Kong government said in response to the statement by the foreign ministers.
Most of those arrested last week had taken part in an unofficial parliamentary primary which was later postponed. Authorities claim the primary was part of a plot to take control of the legislature to paralyze the government and force the city’s leader to resign.
The 55 have not been charged and all but three have been released on bail pending further investigation. Convictions can prevent them from running.
The four foreign ministers said the next parliamentary election should include candidates representing a range of political views. Only half of the city’s legislature is elected by popular vote.
“We call on the central authorities of Hong Kong and China to respect the legally guaranteed rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong without fear of arrest and detention,” they wrote.
The statement was signed by Marise Payne from Australia, Francois-Philippe Champagne from Canada, Dominic Raab from the UK and Mike Pompeo from the United States.
Separately, Pompeo announced Saturday that the US invalidates long-standing restrictions on the way its diplomats and others interact with their counterparts in Taiwan, a self-governing island that China says should be under its rule.
The actions against Taiwan and Hong Kong will no doubt infuriate China, which sees such measures as foreign interference in its internal affairs.
The Trump administration, which is in its last days, is also sending Kelly Craft, its ambassador to the United Nations, in Taiwan later this week. China has sharply criticized the upcoming visit, while the Taiwanese government has welcomed it.