US, Canada, Australia, UK issue 'serious concern' over mass arrests in Hong Kong

Foreign Ministers of Canada, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom have issued a joint statement condemning the recent mass arrests of former lawmakers and pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. The foreign ministers expressed their "serious concern" at the mass arrests of 55 politicians and activists for subversion under the National Security Law. The foreign ministers said that the National Security Law, imposed by Beijing last year, is a clear violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and undermines the "One Country, Two Systems" framework.

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"We call on the Hong Kong and Chinese central authorities to respect the legally guaranteed rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong without fear of arrest and detention. It is crucial that the postponed Legislative Council elections in September proceed in a fair way that includes candidates representing a range of political opinions," foreign ministers from the above-mentioned four nations said in a statement. 

Read: Hong Kong Police Release Most Of The Detained Activists; Joshua Wong Still In Custody

The arrests

According to the Associated Press, the mass arrests were made on Wednesday over unofficial election primaries held last year to field enough pro-democracy candidates to take control of the Hong Kong legislative council, currently controlled by pro-Beijing lawmakers. Police raided the homes of former lawmakers and activists, who had participated in the primaries. The house of jailed activist Joshua Wong, who is currently serving a sentence for organising and participating in a protest last year, was also raided by the police. The legislative elections that were scheduled to take place in September 2020 were called-off by the Hong Kong election commission citing COVID-19 concerns. 

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The pro-democracy election primaries were held last year in July despite certain politicians warning the event could violate the national security law. The primaries were held to build support among the voters and it managed to attract more than 6,00,000 eligible electors. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam had said that if the primaries were aimed at resisting every policy initiative by the city then it could be in violation of the national security law.

Read: Hong Kong Police Arrest At Least 50 Former Lawmakers, Pro-democracy Activists