Members of European Parliament write to EU leaders, highlight growing `repression` in Hong Kong

Brussels: On the occasion of the first anniversary of Hong Kong`s national security law, members of the European Parliament wrote a joint letter to top EU leaders, demanding action against the Chinese authorities for the imposition of a legislation law that "destroyed" the `One country, two systems.`

In a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Charles Michel, the EU members said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) broke the promises made to Hong Kong citizens made in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

"In Hong Kong, there is a clear desire of the people to maintain the city`s high level of autonomy and rule of law, exemplified by the umbrella protest movement in 2014 and the pro-democracy protest that began in 2019, during which over me-million Hong Kongers took the streets in an unprecedented fashion," the letter said.

While stating that the integrity of the `One country, two systems` has been destroyed, the members added: "The so-called national security law, the subsequent electoral reform law and the recent ban of the yearly-organized Tiananmen Vigil represent an unprecedented assault on the city`s identity, its autonomy, rule of law and fundamental freedoms, as well as on international agreements."

The situation in Hong Kong is an important test case for the EU`s commitment to upholding freedom, democracy, human rights and rule of law internationally and for its credibility as a global actor, the members said.They also called for sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials responsible for the growing "repression" in Hong Kong.

"We call on the implementation of the Council Conclusions of July 2020, as well as the imposition of Magnitsky-style sanctions against those Chinese and Hong Kong officials responsible for the growing repression, in particular, Xia Baolong and Carrie Lam, the establishment of an international Hong Kong Contact Group, and the suspension of extradition treaties, as demanded by the European Parliament in its resolution of January 2021," the letter added.

The letter was co-signed by several members including Reinhard Biitikofer MEP (Greens/EFA, Germany), Miriam Lexmann MEP (EPP, Slovakia) and Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar MEP (S&D, Spain).