EU Parliament urges sanctions over Hong Kong jailing of activists

The lawmakers called on the European Commission to use the bloc’s human rights sanctions regime “against all responsible HK (Hong Kong) and PRC (China) officials.”(AFP) — The European Parliament on Thursday called for sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials over the imprisonment of three activists in Hong Kong for organizing vigils for those killed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.The prison sentences of up to seven years imposed this month on Lee Cheuk-yan, 69; Chow Hang-tung, 41; and Albert Ho, 74, drew international condemnation.European Parliament members overwhelmingly backed a nonbinding resolution condemning the sentences, which were issued under a national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020 following massive pro-democracy protests.Hong Kong and Macau were the only places on Chinese soil that allowed public mourning for those killed on June 4, 1989, when Beijing sent troops and tanks to crush protests calling for political reform in and around the capital’s Tiananmen Square.But public commemorations have effectively been banned in the cities in recent years.The lawmakers called on the European Commission to use the bloc’s human rights sanctions regime “against all responsible HK (Hong Kong) and PRC (China) officials.”The resolution said the commission should also begin working toward the “suspension” of Hong Kong’s status in the World Trade Organization, where it is a member separate from China.“Hong Kong has become a tool of Beijing’s foreign policy, a gateway for circumventing EU sanctions against Russia and, tragically, a place where there is no longer any space for democracy,” conservative Slovak lawmaker Miriam Lexmann told the European Parliament.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads