Beijing has responded to Western criticism over the latest arrest of activists in Hong Kong, including a 90-year-old Catholic cardinal, accusing them of “defaming” and putting on a “political show.”
China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong “expresses strong disapproval and opposition, emphasizing that ‘rights and freedoms’ are not a ‘shield’ for illegal activities in Hong Kong,” read a statement released Thursday. “[The ministry] urges the foreign forces that are intervening to immediately stop their clumsy political show full of ideological biases.”
Cardinal Joseph Zen, lawyer Margaret Ng, singer and activist Denise Ho and scholar Hui Po-keung were released on bail Wednesday night.
They were trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which supported thousands of protesters during the 2019 riots by providing them with legal assistance, funds for psychological counseling and medical treatment, and emergency aid.
“We urge relevant countries and politicians to acknowledge the situation, back off before it’s too late… immediately stop intervening in Hong Kong and China affairs, and not go down this path that is doomed to failure,” it said. read in the ministry statement.
The national security police confirmed Wednesday night that they had arrested four people for alleged conspiracy to collude with foreign powers.
Western politicians, human rights groups and activists have denounced the move.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the arrests “once again” showed Hong Kong authorities “will seek all means necessary to quell dissent and undermine protected rights and freedoms.”
US Senators Jeff Merkley and James McGovern of the Congressional-Executive Committee on China said, “The dismal trajectory of this once-vibrant financial center remains a concern for this Committee, the United States Congress and all countries committed to rule protection. of the law and fundamental freedoms.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said he was following the situation “with great concern.”
“Fundamental freedoms, as guaranteed in the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration, must be respected,” he said, referring to the treaty signed between China and the UK that states the city will maintain certain freedoms after the delivery of 1997.
The former British colony’s last governor, Chris Patten, called Zen’s arrest “yet another example of how the Chinese Communist Party is bent on turning Hong Kong into a police state.”
The 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund ceased operations last year after police said they were conducting a national security investigation.
