Patten-led group of over 100 MPs + Peers call for sanctions on HK officials

A group of over 100 Parliamentarians, led by Lord Patten, the last British Governor of Hong Kong, have called for the U.K. to sanction Hong Kong officials.

The letter, facilitated by Hong Kong Watch and led by Lord Patten was signed by 103 Parliamentarians in total, and co-signed by the Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy and Asia Minister Stephen Kinnock and a range of other leading cross-party figures, including four of those who had been sanctioned.

It argues that in response to the sanctions placed on U.K. MPs by China, that the Prime Minister should sanction Hong Kong officials.

It says: "This unprecedented attack on democratic representatives of the Western world deserves a robust and coordinated response. The time has come to expand the list of Chinese officials sanctioned for the gross human rights abuses taking place against the Uyghurs, including the architect of the detention camps Chen Quan-guo, and to finally introduce Magnitsky sanctions against the officials and entities responsible for the crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong."

“It is clear that the so-called ‘golden-era’ of relations between the U.K. and China is now over. We would urge the Government to immediately review, publish, and implement a cross-departmental strategy on how the UK can deal with the growing challenge the Chinese Government presents to the democratic world.”