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Hong Kong responded Friday to Washington and London by condemning the arrests in April of 15 pro-democracy activists, saying their criticism was “unfounded” and “extremely irresponsible”.
Police arrested activists, including Democratic Party founder Martin Lee, 81, and millionaire publication magnate Jimmy Lai, 71, on April 18, in the biggest crackdown on the pro-democracy movement since the outbreak. of massive protests last year.
Foreign governments and human rights groups condemned the arrests, and Britain’s Foreign Office said at the time that the right to peaceful protest was “fundamental to the Hong Kong lifestyle” and authorities should avoid “Actions that inflame tensions”.
In its strongest response to criticism so far, the Hong Kong government said the comments by the United States, Britain and the European Parliament were “totally unfounded and constituted a serious intervention in Hong Kong affairs.”
“The claim by some that those arrests amounted to an attack on Hong Kong’s freedoms … is absurd and can hardly bear the test of any law-abiding jurisdiction,” said a government spokesman.
Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” style of government that gives it broad freedoms, including the right to protest and an independent judiciary, unseen on the mainland.
Critics say Beijing is increasingly invading those freedoms, which the central government rejects.
The 15 activists were arrested on charges of organizing and participating in anti-government protests last year that paralyzed parts of the city and represented the most serious popular challenge for Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The outbreak of the new coronavirus and measures taken to curb its spread have seen relative calm in this year’s protests, although smaller protests have emerged last week amid renewed concerns about Beijing’s grip on the city.
To fuel those concerns, questions have been raised in recent weeks about the role of the Beijing institutions that oversee city affairs: the Office of Affairs and the Liaison Office of Hong Kong and Macao.
The government said criticism of the offices’ comments “only illustrates an ignorance of constitutional order” in Hong Kong.
