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Parliamentarians from 18 countries urge Hong Kong to intervene in China detention case

More than 150 parliamentarians from 18 countries have called on Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to intervene to ensure justice for 12 people, the youngest of who is 16, who have been detained in mainland China while trying to flee the city by boat.

The 12, who had all faced charges in Hong Kong linked to pro-democracy protests, have been held virtually incommunicado in a prison in the Chinese city of Shenzhen since they were detained at sea on Aug. 23, apparently while trying to reach the democratic island of Taiwan.

In the letter the 155 parliamentarians asked Lam to use her position to raise their case with Chinese Communist Party officials in Beijing.




“The reason that 2 million Hong Kongers marched against the extradition bill in 2019 is because of their concerns about the mainland justice system where imprisonment is essentially guaranteed, torture is common and forced confessions are frequently demanded of suspects,” the parliamentarians said in their letter released late on Dec. 1.

“Basic decency and human rights must be considered in the case of these vulnerable young people,” said the letter.

Last week, Chinese authorities said members of the group face charges of illegal border crossing and organizing an illicit border crossing, which could carry a sentence of up to seven years in jail.

“In your role as chief executive, it is incumbent on you to intercede on behalf of these young people to ensure that they are guaranteed justice,” the parliamentarians said in.

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“To continue to fail to do so would be a gross abdication of your responsibility to serve the people of Hong Kong and ensure their wellbeing and safety,” they added.

The 12 should be returned to Hong Kong immediately, be allowed to nominate legal representatives and given access to their families, they said in the letter.

Hong Kong leader Lam has said the 12 will have to face justice in the mainland and that her government will provide them with “needed and feasible” assistance.

Human rights groups and democracy activists have expressed fear over the conditions and treatment of the 12.

The chief executive of rights group Hong Kong Watch, Benedict Rogers, said that since they have been detained they’ve not had direct contact with their families, refused access to prescribed medication and to the lawyers chosen by their families.

“This is a watershed case for Hong Kong, which will influence whether the extradition of pro-democracy activists to stand trial in the mainland becomes a common occurrence,” Rogers said.

Chinese authorities have insisted the group be represented by officially appointed lawyers.

Parliamentarians from Australia, Canada, Denmark, EU, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden, Uganda, UK, and USA signed the letter. Among them are US Senator Marco Rubio, Australian Senator Eric Abetz and David Alton a member of the UK’s House of Lords.

With Reuters

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