UK Foreign Secretary 'deeply concerned' over arrest of Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on September 24 that he was “deeply concerned” over the arrest of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong. Taking to Twitter, Raab called on Hong Kong authorities to respect the freedom of its citizens in accordance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration. 

Hong Kong police arrested the activist for participating in an unauthorised assembly and violating the anti-mask law during the months-long anti-government protests after a contentious extradition bill was proposed. He now faces prison time up to 5 years for unauthorised assembly and 1 year for wearing a mask.

While the former Demosistō leader has been released, the case will be mentioned in Eastern Magistrates Court on September 30. Joshua has been protesting against the draconian national security law which punishes anyone who “colludes with foreign states” to harm the “security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity” of China. He had said that Beijing plans to target human rights bodies and activist groups by changing the wording of the offence. The Chinese officials have maintained that Bejing will have jurisdiction over “some extremely rare” national security cases in Hong Kong.

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Joshua said that those groups submitting reports on human rights backlashes to international bodies, testifying against police brutality and authoritarian rules on hearings, now face the threat of imprisonment. He added that Beijing’s move is aimed at cutting off the ties of Hong Kong with the world and punish all those who urge Beijing to uphold the city’s freedoms to the international standards.

Months-long protest

Hong Kong witnessed months-long violent pro-democracy protests against the extradition which left the city in turmoil before the pandemic took over. The city was handed over by Britain to China in 1997 under “One Country, Two Systems” agreement and Beijing agreed to provide higher autonomy to the region, including legislative and judicial independence. 

Read: Hong Kong Journalists Oppose Accreditation Rule, Call It Attack On 'Freedom Of Press'

Read: Hong Kong Security Law Makes Future Of Foreign Judges 'uncertain': Report

(Image: AP)