NEW: 155 parliamentarians from 18 countries publish open letter to Carrie Lam on case of 12 HK youths, 100 days after they were detained in Shenzhen
Today an international group of 155 parliamentarians spanning across 18 countries have published an open letter to the Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, calling for her to intercede personally in the case of the 12 Hong Kong youths who are currently detained in Shenzhen and ensure the 12 are returned to Hong Kong, are able to have direct contact their families, are allowed to nominate legal representation organised by their families, and have access to their proscribed medication.
Parliamentarians from Australia, Canada, Denmark, EU, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden, Uganda, UK, and USA have signed the letter, which raises concerns ‘about the mainland justice system where imprisonment is essentially guaranteed, torture is common and forced confessions are frequently demanded of suspects’.
The letter goes on to call for Carrie Lam ‘to intercede on behalf of these young people to ensure that they are guaranteed justice’ and states that ‘to continue to fail to do so would be a gross abdication of your (her) responsibility to serve the people of Hong Kong and ensure their wellbeing and safety.’
The letter was signed by US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Eliot Engel; US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member, Bob Menendez; US Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Marco Rubio; UK Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Tom Tugendhat; and New Zealand Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Simon O’Connor. From the UK, it was also signed by Iain Duncan Smith, Damian Green, Hilary Benn and John McDonnell.
In Canada, the letter was signed by John McKay MP, the Shadow Minister for Defence James Bezan MP, Jenica Atwin MP, Senator Marilou McPhedran, and former Speaker of the Senate Senator Leo Housakos. Prominent EU parliamentarians who signed the letter include Alviina Alametsä MEP, Hilde Vautmans MEP, Raphael Glucksmann MEP, Andrius Kubilius MEP, Brando Benifei MEP, and Miriam Lexmann MEP. A number of Japanese parliamentarians also signed including Rep Akiko Kamei, Rep Mito Kakizawa, Rep Akihisa Nagashima, Rep Masanobu Ogura, Rep Hirofumi Ryu, Rep Shu Sakuri, Rep Shiori Yamao, and Rep Hajime Yatagawa.
Commenting on the publication of the letter, Hong Kong Watch’s Chief Executive, Benedict Rogers said:
‘Today marks the 100th day since twelve Hong Kong youths were detained attempting to flee Hong Kong to Taiwan. During this period of time, they have not had direct contact with their families, refused access to prescribed medication and to the lawyers chosen by their families.
This is a watershed case for Hong Kong, which will influence whether the extradition of pro-democracy activists to stand trial in the mainland becomes a common occurrence.
Over 150 parliamentarians spanning 18 countries have joined together to call on Carrie Lam to raise the case of the twelve with her superiors in Beijing and ensure their safe return to Hong Kong.
Failure to do so will be in the eyes of the world a gross abdication of her responsibility as Chief Executive to the people of Hong Kong.’
Open letter to Carrie Lam on the ongoing detention of 12 young people from Hong Kong in Shenzhen
1 December 2020
Dear Chief Executive,
We write to raise our concerns about the ongoing detention of twelve young people from Hong Kong in Shenzhen, and to ask that you use your position to raise their case with Chinese Communist Party officials in Beijing.
The reason that 2 million Hong Kongers marched against the extradition bill in 2019 is because of their concerns about the mainland justice system where imprisonment is essentially guaranteed, torture is common and forced confessions are frequently demanded of suspects.
Basic decency and human rights must be considered in the case of these vulnerable young people. In your role as Chief Executive, it is incumbent on you to intercede on behalf of these young people to ensure that they are guaranteed justice. To continue to fail to do so would be a gross abdication of your responsibility to serve the people of Hong Kong and ensure their wellbeing and safety.
There are four requests that we ask that you consider raising with your counterparts in Beijing. These are:
That the young people be returned immediately to Hong Kong. If they are to stand trial, they should be tried in the Hong Kong courts,
That the activists be allowed to nominate the legal representatives chosen by their families,
That the families of those arrested be allowed to contact them,
That the activists be allowed access to their prescribed medication.
We hope that you will make addressing these concerns an urgent priority.
Yours sincerely,
Signed by:
Australia
Senator Eric Abetz
Kevin Andrews MP
Adam Bandt MP
George Christensen MP
Senator Janet Rice MP
Canada
Jenica Atwin MP
James Bezan MP
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith MP
Ted Falk MP
Kerry-Lynne Findlay MP
Jasraj Singh Hallan MP
Matt Jeneroux MP
Tom Kmiec MP
Michael Kram MP
Paul Manly MP
Elizabeth May MP
Phil McColeman MP
The Hon. John McKay MP
Marcus Powlowski MP
David Sweet MP
Warren Steinley MP
Cathay Wagantall MP
John Williamson MP
Bob Zimmer MP
Senator Stephen Greene
Senator Leo Housakos
Senator Marilou McPhedran
Senator Jim Munson
Senator Thanh Hai Ngo
Denmark
Uffe Elbaek MP
EU
Alviina Alametsä MEP
François-Xavier Bellamy MEP
Brando Benifei MEP
Mara Bizzotto MEP
Engin Eroglu MEP
Raphael Glucksmann MEP
Sandro Gozi MEP
Francisco Guerreiro MEP
Hannes Heide MEP
Rasa Jukneviciene MEP
Assita Kanko MEP
Andrius Kubilius MEP
David Lega MEP
Miriam Lexmann MEP
Niklas Nienass MEP
Kira Peter-Hansen MEP
Bert-Jan Ruissen MEP
Ivan Stefanec MEP
Hermann Tertsch MEP
Hilde Vautmans MEP
Bettina Vollath MEP
France
Frédérique Dumas MP
Germany
Peter Heidt MP
Frank Heinrich MP
Gyde Jensen MP
Frank Muller-Rosentritt MP
Ireland
Malcolm Byrne TD
Marian Harkin TD
Joe O’Brien TD
Neale Richmond TD
Senator Ronan Mullen
Italy
Alex Bazzaro MP
Japan
Rep Akiko Kamei
Rep Mito Kakizawa
Rep Akihisa Nagashima
Rep Masanobu Ogura
Rep Hirofumi Ryu
Rep Shu Sakuri
Rep Shiori Yamao
Rep Hajime Yatagawa
Lithuania
Zyigmantas Pavillionis MP, Chair of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee
Myanmar
U Kyaw Min San MP
Netherlands
Femke van Kooten MP
Lilianne Ploumen MP
Wybren van Haga MP
New Zealand
Simon O’Connor MP
Louisa Wall MP
Nigeria
Rep Solomon Bulus MP
Norway
Trine Grande MP
Kristoffer Haug MP
Sweden
Joar Forssell MP
Hampus Hagman MP
Robert Hannah MP
David Josefsson MP
Niels Paarup-Petersen MP
Hakan Svenneling MP
Uganda
Komakech Lyandro MP
UK
Rushanara Ali MP
Hilary Benn MP
Andrew Brigden MP
Fiona Bruce MP
Chris Bryant MP
Alistair Carmichael MP
Wendy Chamberlain MP
Sarah Champion MP
Daisy Cooper MP
Neil Coyle MP
Geraint Davies MP
David Davis MP
Iain Duncan Smith MP
Simon Fell MP
Damian Green MP
Andrew Gwynne MP
Wera Hobhouse MP
Christine Jardine MP
Alicia Kearns MP
Chris Law MP
Clive Lewis MP
Layla Moran MP
Siobhain Mcdonagh MP
Stewart McDonald MP
Stuart McDonald MP
John McDonnell MP
Kate Osamor MP
Bob Seely MP
Andrew Selous MP
Virendra Sharma MP
Alyn Smith MP
Henry Smith MP
Jamie Stone MP
Stephen Timms MP
Tom Tugendhat MP
Mohammad Yasin MP
Lord Adonis
Lord Alton
Lord Anderson
Baroness Bakewell
Baroness Bennett
The Lord Bishop of Coventry
Lord Bowness
Lord Cashman
Lord Chidgey
Baroness Crawley
Baroness D’Souza
Lord Dholakia
Lord Dubs
Lord Freyberg
Baroness Golding
Baroness Hamwee
Lord Hunt
Lord Hylton
Lord Judd
Baroness Lister
Lord Maginnis
Baroness Neville-Jones
Baroness Northover
Baroness O’Loan
Lord Rennard
Lord Rooker
Lord Shinkwin
Lord Strasburger
Lord Swinfen
Lord Wigley
USA
Senator Bob Menendez
Senator Jeffrey A. Merkley
Senator Marco Rubio
Rep. Eliot Engel
Rep. Ted Yoho