A guide: How the new UK Parliament and government should approach Hong Kong
Following the State Opening of Parliament today, Hong Kong Watch is publishing a briefing offering a ‘UK Policy Roadmap on Hong Kong’. This briefing is intended to serve as a policy roadmap on salient human rights issues within the Hong Kong-UK bilateral relationship, providing context on the political situation in Hong Kong, previous human rights advocacy by Hong Kong Watch, and an overview of how the UK Parliament and government have responded to key developments in Hong Kong since 2019.
The briefing also includes Hong Kong Watch’s key policy asks for the new Parliament and government on Hong Kong, including:
Maintaining and expanding the British National (Overseas) visa scheme
Granting home fee status at UK universities to BNO Hong Kongers
Addressing financial and transnational repression against the Hong Kong community
Imposing sanctions on Hong Kong officials responsible for human rights violations
Reviewing the status of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London
In addition to these key policy asks, the UK Parliament and government should pay close attention to the trial of and call for the immediate and unconditional release of British citizen Jimmy Lai, who has been behind bars in Hong Kong for nearly 1,300 days at the time of writing. Mr Lai founded Apple Daily, the largest pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong, and faces three trumped up charges under the National Security Law for daring to publish the truth.
It is crucial that the UK Parliament and government continue to monitor and respond to the situation in Hong Kong following the March 2024 passage of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, commonly known as ‘Article 23’ legislation, which furthers the threat posed by the 2020 National Security Law to the most basic rights and freedoms in the city.
You can read the full briefing here.
Benedict Rogers, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Watch, said:
“We look forward to partnering with new and long-standing friends alike in the UK Parliament and government on the issues that matter most to Hong Kongers in Britain. The UK must continue to take China’s ‘ongoing non-compliance’ with the Sino-British Joint Declaration seriously. This involves not only publicly and privately condemning China and Hong Kong’s egregious human rights violations in Hong Kong, but taking action by expanding safe haven for those who need to flee from political repression, imposing targeted sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, and addressing financial and transnational repression that is likely to increase under Article 23 legislation.”
香港監察發表英港政策路線圖 要求新一屆國會及政府繼續監察並回應香港局勢
英國今天舉行國會開幕大典，香港監察隨後發表簡報《英國對港政策路線圖》（UK Policy Roadmap on Hong Kong）。這份簡報旨在充當港英雙邊關係中主要人權問題的政策路線圖，提供香港政治局勢的脈絡，介紹香港監察以前的人權倡議工作，並概述英國國會及政府如何回應2019年以來香港的重大事件。
簡報亦載有香港監察向新一屆國會及政府提出針對香港的關鍵政策要求，當中包括：
除了上述關鍵政策要求外，英國國會及政府還應密切關注英國公民黎智英的審訊，並呼籲立即無條件放人，截稿時他已在香港監獄度過近1,300天。黎智英創辦了香港最大型民主派報紙《蘋果日報》，因敢於報導真相而被控三項莫須有的《國家安全法》控罪。
因應2024年3月香港通過《維護國家安全條例》（俗稱「23條」），而23條加劇了2020年《國安法》對香港基本權利和自由的威脅，英國國會及政府務必繼續監察並回應香港局勢。
請在此處閱讀簡報全文。
香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）表示：
「我們期待與英國國會及政府的新舊朋友合作，聯手應對在英國港人最關注的議題。英國必須持續認真看待中國『持續不遵守』《中英聯合聲明》的行為。這不但包括公開及私下譴責中國和香港當局嚴重侵犯香港人權的行為，而且包括採取行動，為需要逃離政治打壓的港人擴大救生艇計劃；點名制裁香港特首李家超；並對付可能因23條而加劇的經濟及跨國鎮壓。」