Mike Pompeo condemns Hong Kong for arresting politicians, following earlier arrests of opposition activists

Name: Eight Hong Kong lawmakers, activists arrested over chaotic Legislative Council meeting
Uploaded: 2020-11-02T20:13:05.000Z
Duration: 3 min 3 s
Description: Eight Hong Kong lawmakers, activists arrested over chaotic Legislative Council meeting

‘The arrest of these lawmakers six months after the incident in question is a clear abuse of law enforcement for political purposes,’ says Pompeo

The remarks are Pompeo’s second statement in a week condemning a wave of arrests in Hong Kong of both activists and politicians

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made two statements in a week condemning a wave of arrests in Hong Kong of opposition activists and politicians. Photo: Reuters

Jacob Fromerin Washington

Published: 4:13am, 3 Nov 2020Updated: 12:06am, 4 Nov 2020

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned Hong Kong authorities for arresting eight opposition politicians on Sunday and Monday, including five currently serving legislators, over an incident at a Legislative Council meeting in May where lawmakers allegedly broke into shouting and physical scuffles with each other.

“The arrest of these lawmakers six months after the incident in question is a clear abuse of law enforcement for political purposes,” Pompeo said.

The remarks were Pompeo’s second statement in a week condemning a wave of arrests in Hong Kong of opposition activists and politicians.

They were also the latest sign of the enormous and growing scepticism in Washington over whether Hong Kong’s justice system is still capable of conducting fair and apolitical legal proceedings, after Beijing imposed its national security law on the city at the end of June.

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Eight Hong Kong lawmakers, activists arrested over chaotic Legislative Council meeting

The alleged incident that led to the arrests occurred in May, after pan-democratic lawmakers had been accused of using procedural tactics to block the passage of laws they opposed. The potential laws included a bill that would make it a crime to insult the Chinese national anthem.