OTTAWA, ON (January 6, 2021) – The arrests of over 50 democracy activists in Hong Kong today demonstrates Beijing’s determination to destroy any remnants of Hong Kong’s autonomy. The message is clear: Beijing will not tolerate one ounce of dissent.
Hong Kong rang in 2021 with over 50 Hong Kong pro-democratic candidates, organizers, and affiliates of the primary elections arrested on alleged violations of the national security law (NSL), specifically on charges of subversion of the state.
On January 4th, Chief Executive Carrie Lam stated that Beijing’s criticism of Hong Kong’s judiciary system was an exercise of freedom of speech. Evidently, this freedom of speech does not extend to criticisms of Beijing as demonstrated by today’s arrests. The alarming fact is that Hong Kong’s judiciary, the last mantle of rule of law, is under grave threat. The Hong Kong government hopes to dismantle and replace it with a system willing to do the Chinese regime’s bidding.
ACHK is appalled by the complicity of democratic nations. We strongly condemn these politically-driven arrests and call for the Canadian government to act.
ACHK urgently demands the Government of Canada and allied democratic nations to:
- Immediately invoke sanctions against human rights offenders in Hong Kong and China and those responsible for the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy
- Reform Canada’s foreign policy on the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Republic of China — including domestic policy changes that prioritizes the protection of Canadians’ fundamental freedom from erosion, and proactively combat and investigate Chinese Communist Party interference in Canadian society and combat foreign interference into Canadian institutions
- Create asylum pathways to help Hong Kongers flee mass detention, torture, and persecution, and demand amnesty for all Hong Kongers who were arrested, charged, and imprisoned for political dissidence
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ACHK supports and welcomes Taiwanese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Chinese, and other communities who are suffering from persecution by the Chinese Communist Party. ACHK stands in solidarity with Indigenous and marginalized communities both within Canada and abroad. alliancecanadahk.com | [email protected]