Washington: The United States has announced new visa restrictions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials in response to the guilty verdicts in the National Security Law trial of pro-democracy organizers in Hong Kong, the State Department stated on Friday.
In a landmark subversion trial, fourteen Hong Kong pro-democracy activists were found guilty on Thursday, with two acquitted. Critics argue this decision further undermines the city’s rule of law and its status as a global financial hub.
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“The United States is deeply concerned by the guilty verdicts announced in the National Security Law trial of pro-democracy organizers in Hong Kong,” stated Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman. “The defendants were subjected to a politically motivated prosecution and jailed simply for peacefully participating in political activities protected under the Basic Law of Hong Kong.”
As a consequence, the United States will implement new visa restrictions targeting the Chinese and Hong Kong officials responsible for enforcing the security law, Miller explained.
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These verdicts follow more than three years after police conducted dawn raids across the city, arresting 47 democrats. They were subsequently charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under a national security law imposed by China.
The U.S. urges Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to cease using “vague national security laws to curb peaceful dissent,” Miller added.
