Hong Kong: Serious Concerns About Amendments to Extradition Laws

April 4, 2019

(Washington DC)--U.S. Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA), Chairman of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), and U.S.  Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), issued the following statement regarding the Hong Kong government’s proposed amendments to its extradition laws:    

“The proposed amendments to Hong Kong’s extradition laws, if approved, will erode Hong Kong’s reputation as a center of commerce governed by the rule of law. The people of Hong Kong and foreigners residing in Hong Kong—including 85,000 Americans—must be protected from a criminal justice system in mainland China that is regularly employed as a tool of repression. The Chinese government has subjected both Chinese and foreign nationals to arbitrary detention, coerced confessions, denial of legal representation and medical treatment and other types of mistreatment. Those affected have included human rights advocates, lawyers, civil society activists, citizen journalists, ethnic minority populations including Uyghurs and Tibetans, and Hong Kong residents who have been arbitrarily detained by Chinese authorities—such as booksellers Gui Minhai and Lam Wing-kee. We ask the Hong Kong government to ensure protections for all of Hong Kong’s residents and take into account the concerns of Hong Kong legislators, the international business community, the Hong Kong Bar Association, and human rights groups before scheduling a vote in the Legislative Council (LegCo).”