Parliamentarians Unite Today To Speak Up For The Hong Kong 12 – letter sent today by MPs and Peers to the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, with the support of Hong Kong Watch

Oct 22, 2020 | Featured

The Right Hon. Dominic Raab MP
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Secretary King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
United Kingdom
October 22nd 2020

Grandma Wong protests on behalf of the Hong Kong 12

Dear Foreign Secretary,


We are writing to ask that you urgently make the ongoing detention of twelve young Hong Kong activists in Shenzhen a diplomatic priority.
The twelve Hong Kong youths detained in Shenzhen is a watershed case for Hong Kong, which will influence whether the extradition of pro-democracy activists to stand trial in the mainland becomes a common occurrence.
If the Chinese authorities are allowed to prosecute and imprison Hong Kong activists in the mainland with little outcry or response from the international community, Beijing will take this as a signal that it can use the National Security Law as a pretext to extradite other Hong Kong activists to stand trial. Once in the mainland, the presumption of guilt and a lengthy prison sentence is all but guaranteed.
The chilling effect of this trend would be profound. Extradition hanging over the heads of young Hong Kongers coupled with the National Security Law would be the death knell of free expression.
Furthermore, four of the twelve people in detention hold British National (Overseas) status. Their treatment should therefore be a matter of particular concern for the British government.
In view of this, we ask that you call on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and your counterpart in Beijing to immediately ensure the return of the twelve activists to Hong Kong, to guarantee that they have legal representation of their choosing, contact with their families, and to ensure the young people access to necessary prescribed medication. This is a simple matter of natural justice. We hope you will make it a priority.


Yours sincerely,

David Alton


Lord Alton of Liverpool, patron of Hong Kong Watch
House of Lords, Palace of Westminster, London SW1A 0PW

Co-signed:
House of Commons Hilary Benn MP
Andrew Brigden MP Fiona Bruce MP
Chris Bryant MP Alistair Carmichael MP Wendy Chamberlain MP Sarah Champion MP Daisy Cooper MP
Neil Coyle MP
Geraint Davies MP David Davis MP
Iain Duncan Smith MP Simon Fell MP
Damian Green MP Andrew Gwynne MP Christine Jardine MP Chris Law MP
Clive Lewis MP
Layla Moran MP Siobhain Mcdonagh MP Stewart McDonald MP Stuart McDonald MP John McDonnell MP Kate Osamor MP
Sarah Owen MP Andrew Selous MP Virendra Sharma MP Alyn Smith MP
Henry Smith MP
Jamie Stone MP Stephen Timms MP
Wera Hobhouse MP Mohammad Yasin MP House of Lords
Lord Adonis
Lord Anderson of Ipswich Baroness Bakewell
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle The Lord Bishop of Coventry Lord Bowness
Lord Cashman Lord Chidgey Baroness Crawley Baroness D’Souza Lord Dholakia Lord Dubs
Lord Freyberg
Baroness Golding Baroness Hamwee
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath Lord Hylton
Lord Judd
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass Baroness Lister of Burtersett Baroness Neville-Jones Baroness Northover Baroness O’Loan
Lord Rennard
Lord Rooker
Lord Shinkwin
Lord Strasburger
Lord Swinfen
Lord Wigley
House of Lords, Palace of Westminster, London SW1A 0PW

Share This