The European Parliament on Sept. 17 adopted a resolution condemning Hong Kong's national security laws and urging the European Union to sanction Chief Executive 
John Lee Ka-chiu and officials who suppress the city's freedoms. The resolution accuses the Hong Kong authorities of using the National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance to undermine press freedom, free speech and freedom of assembly, and says both laws should be repealed immediately, CNA reported from Brussels.
What prompted the resolution? Its full title ties it to the deteriorating state of press freedom and freedom of expression in Hong Kong after the recent arrest of bookshop operator Wong Man-huen and the sentencing of Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung. The text says that since the National Security Law took effect in 2020 and the ordinance in 2024, numerous prosecutions show a sharp deterioration in freedom of expression, press freedom and judicial independence in the city.
Whom does it name? The resolution condemns the arrest of Wong, who runs the Hunter Bookstore, and the sentencing of Lee Cheuk-yan, former chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance, former vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung, Ho Chun-yan and other political prisoners, CNA reported. It urges the Hong Kong authorities to release them immediately and unconditionally, along with everyone detained for exercising fundamental freedoms including free speech and assembly, and to drop all charges against them.
What does it ask of the EU? The resolution urges the Council of the EU to use the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime against the chief executive, Lee, and against all Hong Kong and Chinese officials responsible for suppressing freedoms in the city. It also calls on EU member states to suspend their extradition treaties with China and to protect people inside the EU who face persecution from the risk of transnational repression.
What does it ask of China? The resolution reaffirms that Hong Kong remains bound by its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and that the Sino-British Joint Declaration is likewise legally binding, CNA reported. It calls on China to honour the commitments set out in those documents and in Hong Kong's Basic Law.
Figures referenced: John Lee Ka-chiu. — JudgeMarket.
