by HONG KONG FREE PRESS 24TH MAY 2020
A coalition of 191 parliamentarians and policymakers from 23 countries have issued a statement condemning Beijing’s “unilateral introduction of national security legislation in Hong Kong,’ and calling for sympathetic governments to unite against this ‘flagrant breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.”
File photo: via Flickr.The letter comes after Beijing announced plans to roll out national security legislation in the autonomous city.The initiative was led by the former governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten, and the former UK Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind. The list of signatories included ex-prime ministers, foreign secretaries, defence ministers, as well as legal and human rights experts and diplomats.
Lord Patten of Barnes said: “The statement shows growing and widespread international outrage at the decision by the Chinese government to unilaterally impose national security legislation in Hong Kong. The breadth of support, which spans all political parties and four continents, reflects both the severity of the situation and ongoing unified international support for the principle of one-country, two-systems.”
Ex-British foreign secretary and patron for NGO Hong Kong Watch, Sir Malcolm Rifkind said: “This is the most serious threat to the people of Hong Kong that there has been from the Chinese Government since 1997. The people of Hong Kong need, and deserve, our support.”
The statement in full:
We, the co-signed, write to express grave concerns about the unilateral introduction of national security legislation by Beijing in Hong Kong.
This is a comprehensive assault on the city’s autonomy, rule of law, and fundamental freedoms. The integrity of one-country, two-systems hangs by a thread.
It is the genuine grievances of ordinary Hong Kongers that are driving protests. Draconian laws will only escalate the situation further, jeopardising Hong Kong’s future as an open Chinese international city.
If the international community cannot trust Beijing to keep its word when it comes to Hong Kong, people will be reluctant to take its word on other matters. Sympathetic governments must unite to say that this flagrant breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration cannot be tolerated.
It is the genuine grievances of ordinary Hong Kongers that are driving protests. Draconian laws will only escalate the situation further, jeopardising Hong Kong’s future as an open Chinese international city.
If the international community cannot trust Beijing to keep its word when it comes to Hong Kong, people will be reluctant to take its word on other matters. Sympathetic governments must unite to say that this flagrant breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration cannot be tolerated.
Signatories:
Rt. Hon Lord Patten of Barnes, former Governor of Hong Kong
Rt. Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind, former Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary:
Canada
Members of Parliament
Kenny Chiu MP
Garnett Genius MP, Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism & Canada-China Relations
Erin O’Toole MP, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
John Williamson MP
Members of the Senate
Senator Leo Housakos, former Speaker of the Senate
Senator Jim Munson
Senator Thanh Hai Ngo
Former Ministers
Irwin Colter, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General
David Kilgour, former Canadian Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific and former MP
Former Premiers
Bob Rae, former NDP Premier of Ontario and Federal Liberal MP
USA
Members of the Senate
Senator Benjamin L Cardin, Ranking Member of the Senate Small Business Committee
Senator Ted Cruz, Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Senator Edward J Markey, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy
Senator Robert Menendez, Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Senator Marco Rubio, Acting Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee
Members of the House of Representatives
Congressman Robert B Aderholt
Congressman Ami Bera, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Non-proliferation, House Foreign Affairs Committee
Congressman Eliot L Engel, Chairman of US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs
Congressman Mike Gallagher
Congressman Vicky Hartzler
Congressman Michael T McCaul, ranking member of US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs
Congressman James McGovern, co-chair of the Congressional Executive Commission on China
Congressman Adam B Schiff, Chairman of the US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Congressman Adam Smith, Chairman of US House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services
Congressman Christopher Smith, former Chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee
Congressman Tom Suozzi
Congressman Ted Yoho, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Non-proliferation, US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs
Former Ambassadors
Grover Joseph Rees, former USA Ambassador to East Timor
EU
Former EU Special Envoys
Jan Figel, former Deputy Prime Minister of Slovakia and EU Special Envoy for Promotion Freedom of Religion or Belief outside of the EU (2016-19)
Members of the European Parliament
Petras Austrevicuis MEP (Renew Europe, Lithuania)
Jose Ramon Bauza Diaz MEP (Renew Europe, Spain)
Francois-Xavier Bellamy MEP (European People’s Party, France)
Vladimír Bilčík MEP (European People’s Party, Slovakia)
Reinhard Buetikofer MEP (Greens, Germany)
Katalin Cseh MEP (Renew Europe, Hungary)
Pascal Durand MEP (Renew Europe, France)
Engin Eroglu MEP (Renew Europe, Germany)
Anna Fotyga MEP, (European Conservatives & Reformists) Poland former Foreign Secretary of Poland
Michael Gahler MEP (European People’s Party, Germany)
Evelyne Gebhardt MEP (Socialists & Democrats, Germany)
Markéta Gregorová MEP (Greens, Czech Republic)
Bernard Guetta MEP (Renew Europe, France)
Rasa Jukneviciene MEP, (European People’s Party, Lithuania) former Minister of Defence of Lithuania and former President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
Eugen Jurzyca MEP (European Conservatives & Reformists, Slovakia)
Karin Karlsbro MEP
Moritz Körner MEP
Andrius Kubilius MEP (European People’s Party, Lithuania), former Prime Minister of Lithuania
Miriam Lexmann MEP (European People’s Party, Slovakia)
Javier Nart MEP (Renew Europe, Spain)
Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová MEP (European Conservatives & Reformists, Slovakia)
Urmas Paet MEP (Renew Europe, Estonia), former Foreign Secretary of Estonia
Peter Pollák MEP (European People’s Party, Slovakia)
Michaela Šojdrová MEP (European People’s Party, Czech Republic)
Ivan Štefanec MEP (European People’s Party, Slovakia)
Romana Tomc MEP (European People’s Party, Slovenia)
Hilde Vautmans MEP (Renew Europe, Belgium)
Guy Verhofstadt MEP (Renew Europe, Belgium), former Prime Minister of Belgium
Germany
Peter Heidt MP, Germany
Eckhard Gnodtke MP, Germany
Gyde Jensen MP, the Chair of the Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid Committee, Germany
Sweden
Joar Forssell MP, Sweden
Hampus Hagman MP, Sweden
David Josefsson MP, Sweden
Frederik Malm MP, Sweden
Lorentz Tovatt MP, Sweden
Denmark
Viggo Fischer MP, Denmark
Ireland
Senator Ronan Mullen
Lithuania
Mantas Adomenas MP
Arvydas Anusauskas MP
Audronius Azubalis MP, former Minister of Foreign Affairs
Laurynas Kasciunas MP
Gabrielius Landsbergis MP
Radvilė Morkunaite-Mikuleniene MP
Emanuelis Zingeris MP, Chair of the Subcommittee on Transatlantic Relations and Democratic Development
Žygimantas Pavilionis MP, former Ambassador of Lithuania to the United States of America
Slovakia
Members of Parliament
Alojz Baránik MP
Ján Benčík MP
Peter Cmorej MP
Ondrej Dostál MP
Gábor Grendel MP, Deputy Speaker
Jarmila Halgašová MP
Radovan Kazda MP
Miroslav Kollár MP
Vladimíra Marcinková MP
Peter Osuský MP
Peter Pollák MP
Juraj Šeliga MP, Deputy Speaker
Andrej Stančík MP
Romana Tabák MP
Marián Viskupič MP
Anna Zemanová MP
Miroslav Žiak MP
Jana Žitňanská MP
Former Member of Parliament
František Šebej, former MP and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee,
Malaysia
Andrew Khoo, Advocate and Solicitor, High Court of Malaya in Malaysia, former Co-Chair of the Human Rights Committee, Bar Council Malaysia
Charles Santiago MP, Chair of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights
Myanmar
U Kyaw Min San, Member of the Bago Regional Parliament and former legal adviser to the International Commission of Jurists Office
South Korea
Jung-Hoon Lee, former Ambassador for Human Rights, South Korea
India
Dr John Dayal, former President of the All India Catholic Union and Member of the National Integration Council, India
Indonesia
Rafendi Djamin, former Representative of Indonesia to the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights, Indonesia
Yuyun Wahyuningrum, Representative of Indonesia to the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights, Indonesia
Australia
Members of Parliament
Kevin Andrews MP, Former Australian Defence Minister, Chairman of the Human Rights sub-committee of the Australian Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Trade
Vicki Dunne MP
Andrew Hastie MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary Joint Committee for Intelligence and Security, Australia
Ian Goodenough MP
Peter Khalil MP, Member of the Joint Standing Committee Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade
Janelle Saffin MP
Dave Sharma MP, Member for Wentworth
Phillip Thompson MP, Member of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
Tim Wilson MP
Members of the Senate
Senator Eric Abetz, former Leader of the Government in the Senate
Senator Alex Antic
Senator Slade Brockman, Senator for Western Australia
Senator Matthew Canavan, former Minister for Resources and Northern Australia
Senator Claire Chandler
Senator David Fawcett, Chair of the Joint Standing Committee Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Trade, former Assistant Minister for Defence
Senator Kimberley Kitching, Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Accountability and member of the Joint Standing Committee Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Trade
Senator Matthew O’Sullivan
Senator James Paterson
Senator Tony Sheldon
Senator Amanda Stoker
New Zealand
Simeon Brown MP
Marama Davidson MP, Coleader of the Green Party of Aotearoa/New Zealand
Simon O’Connor MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Trade Committee
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