U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) denounced the trial of nine pro-democracy activists, including veteran barrister Li Zhuming, by the Beijing authorities and the Hong Kong government as an affront to the rule of law in Hong Kong. Pelosi said it sends a chilling message to the outside world that “Beijing will never stop its crackdown on rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.”
Nine pro-democracy activists, including Lee Chu-ming, founding chairman of the Democratic Party, who is known as the father of democracy in Hong Kong, and Lai Chi-ying, founder of One Media, were arrested by police last April on charges of organizing and participating in an unauthorized rally in August 2019. The case went to trial on Feb. 16, and nine people, including Lee, Lai Chi-ying, Albert Ho, Lee Cheuk-yan, Leung Kwok-hung, Ng Yi-yee, Leung Yiu-chung, Ho Sau-lan and Au Nok-hin, appeared in court.
“The trial of Martin Lee and a number of other pro-democracy leaders is an affront to the rule of law and sends a chilling message that Beijing will never stop suppressing rights and freedoms in Hong Kong,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement Monday (Feb. 22).
Veteran barrister Martin Lee Chu-ming, 82, was named as a defendant for the first Time. The verdict in the case against the nine pro-democracy activists, which also involves the Public Order Ordinance, the police’s power to ban peaceful marches and the unconstitutionality of the appeal mechanism, could have far-reaching implications for the future exercise of Hong Kong people’s freedom of assembly, and is therefore of great interest.
In a statement, Pelosi said, “Both houses of the U.S. Congress have long held China accountable for its repression and abuses, including against Uighurs, Tibetans, human rights activists and vulnerable groups in mainland China, and now, in Hong Kong. We must ensure that all those who have been oppressed and persecuted by Beijing know that they have not been forgotten.”
“The Chinese government must know that the world is watching their stifling of human rights, and we must lay out all options to hold China accountable,” Pelosi’s statement continued.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) attends a press conference on Jan. 9, 2020.
In the deeply partisan Washington political arena, both parties in Congress have repeatedly shown a high degree of unity and consensus on the issues of Hong Kong’s autonomy and human rights in China.
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the committee’s Ranking Republican, joined several other members of Congress from both parties last Friday (February 19) to introduce a resolution condemning China and the Hong Kong authorities for continuing to trample on the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. and freedoms.
The resolution encourages the Biden Administration to work with allies and partners to hold the People’s Republic of China accountable through multilateral forums and to ensure that the private sector is aware of the risks that Hong Kong’s version of the National Security Act poses to U.S. Security, citizens and long-term business interests.
“The people of Hong Kong have fought for years to protect the freedoms guaranteed to them by the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law,” Rep. Meeks said in a written statement. “I support their efforts to preserve democracy, and I will continue to work with my congressional colleagues and the Biden Administration to hold the People’s Republic of China and the HKSAR government accountable for trampling on the rights of the people of Hong Kong.”
Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) of Florida described the trial of the nine pro-democracy activists as “shameful” last week.
“These brave activists committed no real crime, they simply had the courage to stand up for freedom and thus offended the delicate sensibilities of Secretary General Xi. Chief Executive Carrie Lam should stop acting as a puppet of Beijing and truly support her people.”
Another Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), also tweeted his concerns about the current situation and future of Hong Kong. “Using draconian national security laws, the Chinese Communist Party is working to eradicate all freedom-loving voices,” Rubio tweeted.
President Biden said last week that the United States must speak out for human rights and that China will suffer the consequences for its human rights abuses.
Asked what specific measures the U.S. government would take in response to China’s human rights concerns, Pelosi responded at a regular press conference last week that human rights are part of American values and cannot be sacrificed for other interests.
“It’s important that we let the world know that human rights are part of our value system. When we engage in world affairs, it’s about our national security, it’s about our military, it’s about our power, it’s also about our economy and how we interact with other countries, it’s about our values,” Pelosi said at the press conference, adding, “We can’t sacrifice one for the other. Whatever form it takes, I hope it will change some of China’s treatment of Hong Kong, Tibet and the Uighurs.”
In her statement Monday, Pelosi again emphasized that “if we don’t speak out clearly for human rights in China because of our business interests, we will lose all moral authority to speak out for human rights elsewhere in the world.”
Earlier this month, Norwegian Conservative MPs Mathilde Tybring-Gjedde and Peter Frolich nominated Li Ju Ming for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. In a statement, the two Norwegian MPs said they hope the nomination “will serve as an inspiration to the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and will also advance the cause of freedom around the world.
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