Canadian parliamentarians call on the Government to investigate visa waivers issued for three hundred Hong Kong police officers accused of complicity in human rights violations

Today, a group of eleven parliamentarians in Canada including four patrons of Hong Kong Watch Canada have written to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to call for an investigation as to why Hong Kong police officers were given visa waivers under an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to attend the World Police and Fire Games in Winnipeg.

The decision by the Canadian Government to issue visas for Hong Kong police officers allowing them to attend the police and fire games, comes two weeks after Hong Kong Police issued arrest warrants and bounties for eight Hong Kong activists living overseas.

In the letter, parliamentarians note that “In the specific case of the Commissioner for the Hong Kong Police Force, Mr Raymond Chak-Yee Siu, he has personally engaged in undermining human rights in Hong Kong, dismantling the rule of law, and ordering the recent detention and questioning of the families of Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers overseas.”

The letter goes on to urge the Government to investigate why these police officers were given visa waivers and issued ETAs, what steps will be taken to prevent such waivers in the future particularly to those who have been accused of complicity in human rights violations, and to ensure that in the future that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will not green light visas for human rights violators.

Signatories to the letter include: James Bezan MP, Garnett Genuis MP, Senator Leo Housakos, John McKay MP, Sameer Zuberi MP, Jenny Kwan MP, Heather McPherson MP, Michael Cooper MP, Tom Kmiec MP, Cathay Wagantall MP, and Greg McLean MP.

The full letter can be read here.

Sam Goodman, Director of Policy and Advocacy for Hong Kong Watch, said:

“The decision to issue visa waivers for the 300 Hong Kong police officers at a time when they are harassing Hong Kong activists overseas and the Hong Kong community in Canada is facing increasing intimidation is incomprehensible. 

In particular, the decision to allow Raymond Chak-Yee Siu, the Commissioner for the Hong Kong Police Force, to come to Canada in his official capacity is indefensible given that he has personally taken part in much of the human rights violations we have witnessed in Hong Kong over the last few years.

The Canadian Government should investigate why this happened and take steps to ensure that human rights violators are not given visa waivers in the future.”