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More than 60 UK MPs and colleagues have written to Dominic Raab asking him to demand the return of young Hong Kong activists detained in mainland China after trying to flee to Taiwan by boat.
In the letter delivered to the foreign secretary on Thursday evening, MPs warned of a profound chilling effect if the Chinese authorities were allowed to “prosecute and imprison Hong Kong activists on the mainland with little protest or response from the community. international”.
On August 23, the Chinese coast guard intercepted a speedboat off the coast of Hong Kong carrying a dozen young people between the ages of 16 and 30 who were allegedly trying to apply for asylum in Taiwan. Almost all the passengers faced charges in Hong Kong related to the 2019 protest movement.
Among the group was Andy Li, a young activist who had previously been arrested under Beijing’s national security law on suspicion of foreign collusion. In late September, Chinese authorities formally approved the group’s arrest, for allegedly crossing China’s borders illegally.
The detainees’ families and lawyers say authorities have denied the group access to legal aid, contact with the outside world and, in some cases, medicine for illnesses.
The letter to Raab read: “In light of this, we ask that you ask Hong Kong Executive Director Carrie Lam and her counterpart in Beijing to immediately guarantee the return of the twelve activists to Hong Kong, to ensure that they have legal representation of their choice, contact with their families and guarantee youth access to the necessary prescribed medication.
“This is a simple matter of natural justice.”
The letter said that allowing China to detain and hold Hong Kong people without international pushback would give Beijing a signal that it could use the national security law, which broadly describes the crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion. , but includes even benign acts of dissent, to extradite. other activists.
“Once on the mainland, the presumption of guilt and a long prison term are almost guaranteed,” he said.
Lord Alton of Liverpool, vice chairman of the all-party parliamentary group in Hong Kong, said the group’s decision to flee reflected widespread fear of the implications of the national security law. “The law flagrantly violates fundamental human rights principles and compromises the integrity of Hong Kong’s rule of law.”
The letter was signed by MPs from across the political spectrum, including Theresa May’s former de facto Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green, former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith and the chair of the select committee on international development, Sarah Champion.
Layla Moran, a Liberal Democrats foreign policy spokesperson and signatory to the letter, said the two-month detention and deprivation of legal aid and medicine were “unacceptable.”
“The foreign secretary must make this a diplomatic priority, and the 12 must be immediately returned home.”
The letter said the UK government should also have “special concern” for four members of the group with British National Overseas (BNO) passports. China does not recognize BNO status or dual citizenship, and considers Hong Kong people to be Chinese citizens and not entitled to foreign consular assistance.
Duncan Smith, who is also co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said that the United Kingdom had a legal obligation to defend the people of Hong Kong until 2047, under the British Joint Declaration governing the handover of Hong Kong to China. .
“If the UK cannot help these 12 young people, this commitment is not worth the paper it is printed on,” he said. “Raising the cases in diplomatic exchanges is not enough. We need to go further and offer consular assistance ”.
