German MP, Eckhard Gnodtke announces his support for disqualified Hong Kong legislator

On 21 October 2019, Mr Eckhard Gnodtke (CDU) announced his support for Mr Sixtus Baggio Leung Chung-hang as part of the Bundestag Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid Parliamentarians Protect Parliamentarians programme. 

Mr Gnodtke said: "Hong Kong’s ongoing crisis can be directly traced back to the disqualification of lawmakers and election candidates and their disproportionally harsh sentencing. It is for this reason that I am pairing with the disqualified lawmaker Baggio Leung to stand in solidarity with Hong Kong's young people who are facing a campaign of political screening. I hope the nomination of Mr Leung provides timely moral support him ahead of his appeal, and that Hong Kongers know that the German Bundestag stands in solidarity with you. I am grateful to Hong Kong Watch for helping to facilitate this initiative."

The announcement that Mr Gnodtke would be paired with Mr Leung followed news last week that two other German Parliamentarians would be supporting Edward Leung and 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung.  

Note to editors: Find a link to the Bundestag 'Parliamentarians Protect Parliamentarians programme: https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/549508/e23ed707a581eeee80e42630ac83bdeb/PsP_Flyer-englisch-data.pdf]