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HONG KONG: More than 150 parliamentarians from 18 countries have called on Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to intervene to guarantee justice to 12 people, the youngest aged 16, who has been detained in mainland China while trying to flee the city by boat.
The 12, who had faced charges in Hong Kong related to anti-government protests, have been held virtually incommunicado in a mainland prison since they were detained at sea on August 23, apparently while trying to reach the democratic island of Taiwan.
Chinese authorities said last week that members of the group face charges of illegally crossing the border and organizing an illegal border crossing, which could carry a sentence of up to seven years in jail.
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“In your role as CEO, it is your responsibility to intercede on behalf of these young people to ensure that justice is guaranteed,” the parliamentarians said in the letter released on Tuesday (December 1).
“To continue without doing so would be a serious abdication of its responsibility to serve the people of Hong Kong and ensure their well-being and safety.”
The 12 must be returned to Hong Kong immediately, allowed to appoint legal representatives and have access to their families, they said in the letter.
Hong Kong leader Lam has said the 12 will have to face justice on the mainland and that her government will provide “necessary and feasible” assistance.
Human rights groups and democracy activists have expressed fear over the conditions and treatment of the 12, and have been denied access to their families and lawyers.
The Chinese authorities have insisted that the group be represented by officially appointed lawyers.
