Raab hits out at Chinese ‘assault’ as pro-democracy politicians quit
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said the expulsion of pro-democracy legislators in Hong Kong represents a “further assault” on the region's autonomy and freedoms.
Mr Ra abs aid :“China' s decision to arbitrarily remove elected pro-democracy Hong Kong legislators from their positions represents a further assault on Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and freedoms under the Uk-china Joint Declaration.
“This campaign to harass, stifle and disqualify democratic opposition tarnishes China's international reputation and undermines Hong Kong's long-term stability.”
The comments came after the former UK colony’ s pro-democracy legislators resigned en masse after the city' s government moved to disqualify four of them.
The pro-democracy camp announced the decision in a news conference, hours after the Hong Kong government said it would disqualify Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung from the legislature.
The disqualifications came after China's National People's Congress Standing Committee, which held meetings earlier this week, passed a resolution saying those who sup - port Hong Kong's independence or refuse to acknowledge China' s sovereignty over the city, as well as commit acts that threaten national security or ask external forces to interfere in its affairs, should be disqualified.
"We will re sign from our positions, because our partners, our colleagues, have been disqualified by the central government' s ruth less move," Wu Chi-wai, convener of the pro-democracy camp, said at the news conference.
"We are facing a lot of difficulties in the coming future for the fight of democracy, but we will never, never give up," he said.
Mr Wu said the pro-democracy legislators will hand in their resignation letters today.
During the news conference, pro-democracy members chanted while holding hands.
"This is an actual act by Beijing... to sound the death knell of Hong Kong's democracy fight, because they would think that from now on anyone they found to be politically incorrect or unpatriotic or are simply not likable to look at, they could just oust you using any means," said pro-democracy legislator Claudia Mo.
Beijing has in recent months moved to clamp down on opposition voice sin Hong Kong with the imposition of a national security law, after months of anti-government protests last year rocked the city.
"In terms of legality and constitutionality, obviously from our point of view this is clearly in breach of the basic law and our rights to participate in public affairs, and a failure to observe due process," said Mr Kwok, one of the disqualified legislators, referring to Hong Kong's mini-constitution.
Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, said in a news conference yesterday that legislators must act properly, and added that the city needs a legislature comprised of patriots.
She said: "We cannot allow members of the Legislative Council who have been judged in accordance with the law to be unable to fulfil the requirements and prerequisites for serving on the Legislative Council.”