As the Hong Kong police have made their fifth day of arrests of 55 pro-democracy activists, the aftermath of the shock is yet to be felt. The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada have issued a joint statement expressing their grave concern over the incident, which highlights the fact that the National Security Law of Hong Kong is used to eliminate the political views of dissidents and the opposition, and urging the Chinese and Hong Kong governments to respect the human rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people as guaranteed by the law, so that they do not have to enjoy such freedoms while They should not have to worry about being arrested and detained while enjoying these freedoms. However, Tai Yiu-ting, who was released on bail, told a friend that he would make fewer public statements in the coming period and would devote himself to writing.
In their fourth joint statement on Hong Kong affairs, the four foreign ministers said the Hong Kong Bill of Rights is a clear violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the framework of the “one country, two systems” approach, and is being used to eliminate the political views of dissidents and the opposition. The foreign ministers noted that it is crucial to ensure that the next Legislative Council elections are held fairly and called on the Hong Kong government to allow candidates representing different political views to run for office.
Over the past six months, the foreign ministers of the U.S.-led Five Eyes Coalition have issued two joint statements on Hong Kong affairs, in August last year on the Hong Kong government’s unfair disqualification of Legislative Council candidates and postponement of the election, and in November last year on China’s withdrawal of the NPC’s decision to authorize the Hong Kong government to revoke the qualifications of four pro-democracy Legislative Council members. In addition, the foreign ministers of the four countries in the coalition, except New Zealand, had issued a joint statement last May condemning Beijing’s imposition of the national security law.
However, the human rights and freedom of Hong Kong people have been affected by the great raids. Tai Yiu-ting, a legal scholar who launched the 2014 Occupy movement and initiated the pro-democracy primaries that police accused of subverting state power, sent a thank-you note to a friend after being released on bail, saying it was difficult to judge the days ahead now, but that he had prepared for the worst. He also said that in the coming days, he may be less public statements, will focus on writing about the rule of law. On social media, he said he was “tormented by the cold, cold, cold air,” but the fire in his heart was still there, and there were many people around him who were hopeful. He foresees that “for a short period of time, he will be surrounded by cold walls on all sides,” and he will focus on research and writing about the rule of law, “I am convinced that when I come out, the rising sun of spring may have come.”
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