Hong Kong authorities have criticized the US for planning to impose new sanctions, including visa restrictions, on officials responsible for implementing the national security law, in response to the jailing of 45 opposition figures. The activists were convicted for their roles in a plot to overthrow the Hong Kong government in 2020, with the harshest sentence given to former legal scholar Benny Tai Yiu-ting for organizing an unauthorised election.
The US State Department condemned the prosecutions, calling them an attack on peaceful political activities protected under Hong Kong’s Basic Law. They promised to impose visa restrictions on multiple Hong Kong officials in retaliation.
Washington urged Hong Kong to release the activists and other political prisoners immediately and unconditionally. The State Department expressed concern that these sentences would damage confidence in Hong Kong’s judicial system and harm its international reputation.
The Hong Kong government pushed back against the US criticism, defending the legal process and implying that the international community should respect the city’s sovereignty. The tension between the US and Hong Kong authorities highlights the ongoing dispute over human rights and political freedoms in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
Photo credit
www.scmp.com
