Hong Kong Watch Patrons urge UK Foreign Secretary to sanction Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee
Six Hong Kong Watch Patrons, including the former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind KC, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws KC, Lord Alton of Liverpool, Sarah Champion MP, Alistair Carmichael MP and Sir Geoffrey Nice KC, have written today to British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron urging him to issue a public statement in response to the Hong Kong Government targeting human rights activists and British citizens Benedict Rogers, Luke de Pulford and Bill Browder by listing them as collaborators or co-conspirators in the case of British citizen Jimmy Lai, who has been on trial for 16 days and in prison for 1,098 consecutive days in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong entrepreneur and pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai pleaded not guilty to conspiring to collude with foreign forces and publishing allegedly seditious materials in his trial under Hong Kong’s National Security Law yesterday. During proceedings, the prosecution reportedly named several foreign politicians and human rights activists with whom Mr Lai had been in contact over recent years. Among them include three British citizens: Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Chief Executive Benedict Rogers, the Executive Director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) Luke de Pulford, and Bill Browder, a financier and human rights campaigner who pioneered the introduction of Magnitsky sanctions worldwide.
Given the Foreign Secretary’s previous condemnation of Hong Kong’s National Security Law as a breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and China’s commitments under international law, as well as his recent meeting with Jimmy Lai’s son Sebastien and call for Mr Lai’s release, the six Hong Kong Watch Patrons also pressed the UK Government to implement Magnitsky-style sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, including asset freezes and a travel ban.
John Lee has been, and continues to be, involved in activities which amount to a serious violation of the right not to be subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment. This includes yesterday’s targeting of three British citizens as well as multiple accounts of transnational repression spearheaded by John Lee, notably the $1 million arrest warrants and bounties issued against six Hong Kongers who now reside in Britain, in July and December 2023.
On 30 May 2023, Hong Kong Watch made a formal sanctions submission to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), outlining the case for John Lee to be sanctioned under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime. The submission was accompanied by a cover letter from Baroness Helena Kennedy, KC and Sir Geoffrey Nice, KC, which has yet to receive an official FCDO response.
Benedict Rogers, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Watch, said:
“A response from the Foreign Office regarding the sanctioning of John Lee is long overdue. Following arrest warrants with HK$1 million bounties on six Hong Kongers who fled to Britain and the targeting of three British citizens for simply talking with British citizen Jimmy Lai, now is the time for Britain to sanction John Lee. What else will the British Government tolerate from the Hong Kong Government before it is too little, too late?
“The Foreign Office should swiftly respond to our Patrons by sanctioning John Lee as well as issuing a strong statement that reiterates its condemnation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Jimmy Lai, and affirms support for all British citizens and others around the world who have been and continue to be targeted by the Chinese Communist Party.”
香港監察贊助人聯署致函英國外相 促請回應港府列英國公民為黎智英案共謀 要求制裁李家超
六名香港監察贊助人，包括前英國外交大臣聶偉敬爵士（Sir Malcolm Rifkind）、御用大律師肯尼迪女男爵（Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws）、奧爾頓勳爵（Lord Alton of Liverpool）、國會議員柴萍恩（Sarah Champion MP）、甘文康（Alistair Carmichael MP）和御用大律師尼斯爵士（Sir Geoffrey Nice），今天聯署致函英國外相甘民樂勳爵（Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton），促請他發表公開聲明，回應香港政府針對人權倡議人士和英國公民羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）、裴倫德（Luke de Pulford）和Bill Browder，將他們列為英國公民黎智英案件的合作者或共謀者。
香港企業家兼民運人士黎智英涉嫌違反《國家安全法》案件昨天續審，黎智英否認「串謀勾結外國勢力」及「串謀發布煽動刊物」等控罪。據報導，控方在宣讀開案陳詞期間點出黎智英近年聯絡過的數名外國政治人物和人權倡議人士的名字。被點名人士包括三名英國公民：香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯、對華政策跨國議會聯盟（IPAC）執行總監裴倫德和率先在全球推動馬格尼茨基制裁的金融家兼人權倡議者Bill Browder。
有見外相早前譴責《國安法》違反《中英聯合聲明》及中國在國際法下的承諾，以及最近會見黎智英的兒子黎崇恩並呼籲釋放黎智英，六名香港監察贊助人同時敦促英國政府對香港行政長官李家超施行馬格尼茨基式制裁，包括資產凍結和旅遊禁令。
李家超曾經並持續參與構成嚴重侵犯免受酷刑和其他殘忍、不人道或有辱人格的待遇或處罰權利的行動。這包括昨天針對三名英國公民，以及帶頭跨國鎮壓等多宗事件，特別是2023年7月和12月各懸紅100萬港元通緝六名現居英國的香港人。
2023年5月30日，香港監察透露年初向英國外交、聯邦及發展事務部提交正式制裁建議書，概述根據全球人權制裁制度（Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime）制裁李家超的理據。建議書附有御用大律師肯尼迪女男爵和尼斯爵士的支持信，惟尚未獲外交部正式回應。
香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯表示：
「外交部早就應該回應制裁李家超的建議。因應香港政府各懸紅100萬港元通緝六名逃亡到英國的香港人，以及僅僅因與英國公民黎智英接觸而針對三名英國公民，現在是英國制裁李家超的時候了。在做得太少，為時已晚前，英國政府還能容忍香港政府做甚麼？
外交部應迅速回應我們的贊助人，制裁李家超，並發表強硬聲明。有關聲明應重申譴責《國安法》，呼籲立即無條件釋放黎智英，並申明支持所有英國公民及其他身處世界各地曾經並持續被中國共產黨針對的人。」