Chris Patten: Mass arrests of Hong Kong democrats shows why EU Parliament must reject China investment agreement
On 6 January 2021, 53 people were arrested in Hong Kong under the National Security Law, including the organisers and candidates in last July’s democratic primaries where over 600,000 Hong Kongers voted for pro-democracy candidates for the upcoming Legislative Council elections.
On the morning of 6 January, 1,000 national security officers and police officers arrested 53 people and searched 77 places, including homes, offices, and 4 media companies which were serviced with orders to hand over materials related to the case. Under direction of the Hong Kong Police, banks also froze HKD $1.6 million related to the 53 individuals.
6 of the organisers of last year’s primary were charged with “organising subversion” and 47 candidates were charged with “participating in subversion” under the National Security Law. Those arrested include the pro-democracy academic Benny Tai, an American lawyer John Clancey, and several pro-democracy activists and former lawmakers.
John Lee, Hong Kong’s Security Minister, in a news conference said that those arrested were suspected of trying to paralyze the government, via their plans to gain a majority of the seats in the legislature to create a situation in which the chief executive had to resign and the government would stop functioning.
Lord Patten of Barnes, the last British governor of Hong Kong and a patron of Hong Kong Watch said:
“Taking advantage of the political and pandemic distractions around the world, the Chinese Communist Party has further turned the screw in Hong Kong. It is now clearly to be regarded as illegal to support democracy. Apparently Hong Kong citizens are to be forced to love Beijing’s Communists, or else. Liberal democracies around the world must continue to speak out against this brutal destruction of a free society as well as about the ethnic genocide in Xinjiang.
It is surely inconceivable that the European Parliament can support the miserable draft deal that the European commission wants to sign with Beijing. It is a massive strategic blunder at a time when President Biden will be seeking to put together an international partnership of liberal democracies to deal with the bullying loutish behaviour and assault on our international rules by Chinese Communists. We should not be seeking to contain China but to constrain the Chinese Communist Party.
If this deal goes ahead it will make a mockery of Europe's ambitions to be taken seriously as a global political and economic player. It spits in the face of human rights and shows a delusional view of the Chinese Communist Party's trustworthiness on the international stage. Among other things it is extraordinary that Europe seems to believe that China can be trusted to sign up to international labour standards. Are we about to see the end of forced labour in Xinjiang and the development of a trade union movement in China? Forget it. It is also worth remembering, for all European politicians wherever they come from, that the Jewish community around the world has been outspoken about Xinjiang and in particular has drawn attention to the similarities between what is happening in that region today and the Holocaust in the 1940s.
In the meantime, our thoughts words and international actions should take account of the destruction of a free city in Asia with economic and human consequences. When terrible things are happening, we cannot simply look the other way.”
Commenting on the mass arrest of pro-democracy candidates and organisers, Benedict Rogers, Hong Kong Watch’s Chief Executive said:
“Beijing’s mass arrest of 53 individuals for the “crime” of “standing in” and organising free and fair elections with the aim to form a parliamentary majority in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council marks a watershed moment when it comes to the use of the National Security Law.
It is painfully clear that participating in democracy in Hong Kong, which is guaranteed under the Basic Law and under the Sino-British Joint Declaration is now worthy of being labelled “subversive” under the National Security Law and a threat to the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.
Coming just a week after EU leaders rewarded China with an investment treaty, it is clear once again that Xi Jinping not only has contempt for democracy but no interest in upholding China’s treaty obligations under international law.
Today’s arrests remove the last vestiges of ambiguity over the brutal and draconian nature of the National Security Law which is being used to uproot Hong Kong’s democracy and crush the city’s autonomy.
Statements of condemnation from the UK Government and likeminded democracies will no longer cut it. Now is the time for coordinated action, including Magnitsky sanctions, the adoption of international lifeboat schemes, the suspension of all extradition treaties with the PRC, the creation of a UN Special Envoy for Hong Kong, and an end to rewarding Beijing with investment treaties and allowing Chinese state-owned enterprises to buy key national infrastructure.”
List of arrestees
Candidates
DP = Democratic Party
CP = Civic Party
ND = Neo Democrats
PP = People Power
LSD = League of Social Democrats
Ind. = Independent
Current District Councillor
1. District Council (Second) Functional Constituency
鄺俊宇 Roy Kwong Chun-yu (DP)
李予信 Shun Lee (CP)
岑敖暉 Lester Shum (Ind.)
涂謹申 James To Kun-sun (DP)
王百羽 Wong Pak-yu (Ind.)
2. New Territories (West)
張可森 Sam Cheung Ho-sum (Ind.)
朱凱迪 Eddie Chu Hoi-dick (Ind.)
郭家麒 Kwok Ka-ki (CP)
伍建偉 Ng Kin-wai (Ind.)
吳敏兒 Carol Ng Man-yee (Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions)
譚凱邦 Roy Tam Hoi-pong (ND)
尹兆堅 Andrew Wan Siu-kin (DP)
黃子悅 Prince Wong Tsz-yuet (Ind.)
3. New Territories (East)
陳志全 Ray Chan Chi-chuen (PP)
鄒家成 Owen Chow Ka-shing (Ind.)
范國威 Gary Fan Kwok-wai (ND)
何桂藍 Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam (Ind.)
林卓廷 Lam Cheuk-ting (DP)
林景楠 Mike Lam King-nam (Ind.)
劉頴匡 Ventus Lau (Ind.)
李芝融 Lee Chi-yung (Ind.)
梁國雄 Longhair, Leung Kwok-hung (LSD)
呂智恆 Hendrick Lui Chi-hang (Ind.)
柯耀林 Ricky Or Yiu-lam (Concern Group for Tseung Kwan O People’s Livelihood)
楊岳橋 Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu (CP)
4. Kowloon (West)
安德里 Jeffrey Andrews (Ind.)
劉澤鋒 Nathan Lau Chak-fung (Ind.)
馮達浚 Frankie Fung Tat-chun (Ind.)
何啟明 Kalvin Ho Kai-ming (Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood）
劉偉聰 Lawrence Lau Wai-chung (Ind.)
毛孟靜 Claudia Mo (HK First)
黃碧雲 Helena Wong Pik-wan (DP)
岑子杰 Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit (LSD)
5. Kowloon (East)
李嘉達 Kinda Li Ka-tat (Ind.)
施德來 Sze Tak-loy (Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood)
譚文豪 Jeremy Tam Man-ho (CP)
黃之鋒 Joshua Wong Chi-fung (Ind.) - currently in jail, home searched
胡志偉 Wu Chi-wai (DP)
6. Hong Kong Island
鄭達鴻 Tat Cheng (CP)
徐子見 Andy Chui Chi-kin (Ind.)
梁晃維 Fergus Leung Fong-wai (Ind.)
彭卓棋 Michael Pang Cheuk-ki (Ind.)
楊雪盈 Clarisse Yeung Suet-ying (Kickstart Wan Chai)
袁嘉蔚 Tiffany Yuen Ka-wai (Ind.)
7. Health Services Functional Constituency
余慧明 Winnie Yu Wai-ming
劉凱文 Michael Felix Lau Hoi-man
袁偉傑 Ricky Yuen Wai-kit
Organizers
戴耀庭 Benny Tai Yiu-ting (Legal academic)
趙家賢 Andrew Chiu Ka-yin (DP, Power of Democracy)
鍾錦麟 Ben Chung Kam-lun (Ind.)
關尚義 John Clancey (Lawyer, Treasurer of Power of Democracy) *American citizen*
區諾軒 Au Nok-hin
吳政亨 Ng Ching-heng