Chairs and Select Committee Leadership Urge Concrete Actions to Address Mistreatment of Political Prisoners in Hong Kong

(Washington)—In a letter released today, a bipartisan group of U.S. Members of Congress urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to issue a report on prison conditions in Hong Kong and take additional diplomatic steps to address reported instances of torture and mistreatment of political prisoners. The letter was signed by Representative Christopher Smith (R-NJ) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the Chair and Cochair, respectively, of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and Representatives John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.   

The letter raises concerns about the treatment of Jimmy Lai, including solitary confinement, restricted access to sunlight, and denial of independent medical care, and also cites concerning reports about physical and sexual abuse taking place in at least one juvenile detention facility. The letter asks the Department of State to brief Congress on prison conditions and its efforts to hold Hong Kong government officials accountable for carrying out torture and arbitrary detention. 

Background: The CECC Chairs and the Select Committee Leadership have urged the Biden Administration to sanction police, judges, and prosecutors for their role in the arbitrary detention of Hong Kong democracy and human rights activists, particularly in National Security Law cases.  The Department of the Treasury last issued financial sanctions for Hong Kong officials in August 2020. The Department of State imposed visa restrictions on unnamed Hong Kong officials responsible for the crackdown on rights and freedoms in March 2024.  

The Chairs also urge swift passage of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Certification Act (H.R. 1103 / S. 490), which passed overwhelmingly in the House and awaits Senate action. The legislation would give the President the authority to strip the immunities and privileges granted to the three Hong Kong government diplomatic outposts in the United States, which reportedly engage in the surveillance of Hong Kong democracy advocates in the United States. 

 The signed letter is attached.