‘Alarmingly deteriorating’ situation: EU lawmakers renew calls for sanctions on Hong Kong leaders

European Parliament overwhelmingly adopts resolution condemning decline in fundamental freedoms since national security law was imposed

Non-binding vote targets John Lee and all Hong Kong and Chinese officials responsible for ongoing human rights crackdown in city

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During a resolution debate on Wednesday, members of the European Parliament lined up to criticise the governments in Hong Kong and Beijing for a crackdown that wiped out the city’s political opposition, saw a purge of critical local media, and led to hundreds being jailed. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:13pm, 15 Jun 2023Updated: 9:53pm, 15 Jun 2023

EU lawmakers have renewed calls for sanctions on senior Hong Kong leaders over the “deterioration of fundamental freedoms” in the city.

In a vote on Thursday, lawmakers adopted by a landslide a resolution condemning the “alarmingly deteriorating” situation in Hong Kong since the imposition of a national security law by Beijing in 2020.

The vote was: 483 for, nine against, while 42 lawmakers abstained.

The lawmakers voted on a cross-party urgency resolution, a non-binding tool designed to express the European Parliament’s views on a human rights situation.

During a debate on the resolution on Wednesday night, members of parliament lined up in Strasbourg to criticise the governments in Hong Kong and Beijing for a crackdown that wiped out the city’s political opposition, saw a purge of critical local media, and saw hundreds jailed.

“What are they afraid of? The answer is simple: they are afraid of freedom-loving people like Jimmy Lai, because they are the biggest threat to the lies and oppression of the CCP [Chinese Communist Party],” said Miriam Lexmann, a Slovak lawmaker from the centre-right European People’s Party, who was sanctioned by Beijing in 2021.