British lawmakers condemn conviction of nine Occupy leaders in Hong Kong, saying ruling was politically motivated

MPs also voiced concerns about government’s plan to change the city’s extradition law, including allowing fugitives to be handed to mainland China

Debate held shortly after city’s leader hit out at local and international critics who accused her government of political persecution

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The Occupy leaders were each found guilty of at least one public nuisance charge. Photo: Robert Ng

Published: 8:30pm, 11 Apr 2019Updated: 10:47pm, 11 Apr 2019

British parliamentarians have condemned the conviction of nine leaders of Hong Kong’s biggest civil disobedience movement for being “politically motivated”, while a government minister expressed concern the ruling could discourage legitimate protests in the future.

The MPs also voiced concerns about the Hong Kong government’s plan to change the city’s extradition law, including allowing fugitives to be handed to mainland China.

About 20 MPs, from six political parties, spoke on Wednesday at a House of Commons debate, which was triggered by Liberal Democrat Alistair Carmichael’s urgent question on whether Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt would make a statement on the conviction of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.

The debate came shortly after Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, on the same day, hit back at local and international critics who accused her government of political persecution, dismissing their “groundless attacks”.

On Tuesday, West Kowloon Court found that the nine, including the three Occupy founders – academics Benny Tai Yiu-ting and Dr Chan Kin-man, and Baptist minister Reverend Chu Yiu-ming – had mobilised crowds to jam major thoroughfares in the heart of the city in 2014, in a bid to force the government to bow to their political demands.