A cross-party group of twenty-two prominent parliamentarians call on HSBC to unfreeze Ted Hui’s bank accounts
Today, a cross-party group of twenty-two UK Members of Parliament have written to the Chairman of HSBC, Mark Tucker, to urge the British-based bank to unfreeze the accounts of the Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Ted Hui and his family.
The letter notes that after six months ‘the Hong Kong Police have failed to disclose any information regarding Mr Hui’s case or further legal proceedings’ and therefore calls on HSBC to unfreeze Mr Hui’s accounts. If HSBC is unwilling or unable to unfreeze Mr Hui’s accounts, the group of parliamentarians calls on the bank to ‘offer a written explanation and public statement on the evidence you have received to merit this continued action.’
The group of parliamentarians, which includes Hong Kong Watch Patron Alistair Carmichael MP, Labour’s foreign policy spokesman Stephen Kinnock MP, the Liberal Democrat foreign policy spokesman Layla Moran MP, the SNP foreign policy spokesman Alyn Smith MP, the former Cabinet Minister Rt. Hon David Davis MP, and four members of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, notes their continued concern over HSBC’s support for the National Security Law in Hong Kong which they assert ‘not only tarnishes your bank’s reputation, but is in direct contradiction to your commitment to uphold the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights’.
The full list of signatories includes: Andrew Gwynne MP, Ian Paisley Jnr MP, Andrew Rosindell MP, Chris Bryant MP, Caroline Lucas MP, Virendra Sharma MP, Alistair Carmichael MP, Wera Hobhouse MP, Alyn Smith MP, Stewart McDonald MP, Anthony Browne MP, Stephen Kinnock MP, Henry Smith MP, Simon Fell MP, Layla Moran MP, Peter Dowd MP, Neil Coyle MP, David Davis MP, Bob Seely MP, Navendu Mishra MP, Stephen Timms MP, and Rushanara Ali MP.
Commenting on the letter, the former pro-democracy lawmaker and activist, Ted Hui, said:
“It is illegal and unethical for HSBC to compromise my proprietary rights as a client, in order to come to terms with a repressive regime. HSBC must unfreeze my accounts now.”