BOISE, Idaho – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on the one-year anniversary of Beijing’s National Security Law in Hong Kong:
“The so-called National Security Law essentially strips Hong Kong’s autonomy, quashes the rights and freedoms guaranteed to its people, and calls into question the city’s future as an international financial hub. Over the last year, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), working through the Hong Kong government, has used the national security law to:
· Detain and charge activists, including students, former legislators, and U.S. citizens, involved in pro-democracy and human rights advocacy;
· Call for the screening of judges in Hong Kong’s court system for allegiance to the CCP;
· Force Apple Daily, the largest pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong, to shut down after arresting and freezing the assets of owner Jimmy Lai;
· Restrict press accreditations and deny visas for foreign journalists;
· Authorize a pro-Beijing committee in Hong Kong to vet candidates running for the Hong Kong legislature; and
· Censor school curricula, pressure film makers and exhibits to avoid content deemed sensitive by the CCP, and prohibit vigils commemorating the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
“The CCP’s actions in Hong Kong exemplify the Party’s legacy of repression and silencing of dissent. As the Party marks its 100th anniversary this week, we must continue to apply pressure against this oppressive regime for its human rights abuses and blatant coercion in the mainland and beyond.”
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