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Hong Kong’s rubberstamp legislature announced the passage of Article 23, the toughest series of national security laws to date. The legislation will grant Hong Kong authorities more power to crackdown on dissent, including draconian punishments such as life imprisonment for alleged political crimes. The passage of the Article 23 will only leave Hong Kong more beholden to the Chinese Communist Party. 

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined 76 international parliamentarians and public figures in condemning passage of Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong. The joint statement is as follows: 

• “As parliamentarians and public figures from around the world, we express grave concerns regarding the enactment of new national security legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law in Hong Kong. 

• “New legislation under Article 23 will bring a further devastating blow to the city’s autonomy, rule of law, rights and fundamental freedoms, beyond the impact of the National Security Law imposed by Beijing in 2020. The new law prohibits seven types of activities which the Hong Kong officials intend to declare as ‘offences,’ under vague and expansive provisions which will criminalise the peaceful exercise of human rights. The legislation undermines due process and fair trial rights and violates Hong Kong’s obligations under international human rights law, jeopardising Hong Kong’s role as an open international city.

• “Today we echo calls from the international community for the Hong Kong government to repeal the 2020 National Security Law and cease prosecution of individuals charged with offences under the National Security Law; ensure compliance with international legal obligations and ensure that any restrictions on the basic rights of the people of Hong Kong on national security grounds should be legal, legitimate, and proportional, and ensure that legislation is consistent with the protection of international human rights laws and standards.

• “Governments must unite to say that this flagrant breach of the Basic Law of Hong Kong, the Sino-British Joint Declaration, and international human rights law cannot be tolerated. We must uphold the rules-based international order and hold Hong Kong and Beijing officials accountable for their violations.”

Want more information?

• December 2023: ICYMI: Rubio, Smith: Crack Down on Hostile Hong Kong Outposts
• February 2023: Rubio, Colleagues Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Remove CCP-controlled Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices From U.S.

Signatories in alphabetical order:

EUROPE

UK and Ireland

The Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench), Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong and Patron of Hong Kong Watch

The Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green), Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong and former Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales

Bob Blackman MP (Conservative)

Paul Blomfield MP (Labour)

The Baroness Brinton (Liberal Democrat), former President of the Liberal Democrats

Alistair Carmichael MP (Liberal Democrat), Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong and Patron of Hong Kong Watch

Sarah Champion MP (Labour), Chair of the House of Commons International Development Committee and Patron of Hong Kong Watch

The Baroness Cox (Crossbench), former Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords

Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP (Conservative), Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) and former Leader of the Conservative Party

Sir Michael Fabricant MP (Conservative)

Stephen Farry MP (Alliance), Deputy Leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland

Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, Barrister

The Lord Hain (Labour), former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

The Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative)

The Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws, KC (Labour), Director of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute

The Baroness Lister of Burtersett, CBE (Labour), Professor of Social Policy at Loughborough University

Tim Loughton MP (Conservative), Chair of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission

Caroline Lucas MP (Green), former Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales

John McDonnell MP (Labour), former Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer

Sir Geoffrey Nice, KC, barrister and Patron of Hong Kong Watch

Sarah Olney MP (Liberal Democrat), Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Treasury and Business, Industry and Industrial Strategy

The Lord Patten of Barnes (Conservative), last British Governor of Hong Kong and Patron of Hong Kong Watch

Tom Randall MP (Conservative)

The Lord Ricketts (Crossbench), former Permanent Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, former National Security Advisor, former Ambassador to France

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, KC, former Foreign Secretary and former Member of Parliament, Patron of Hong Kong Watch

The Lord Shinkwin (Conservative)

Alex Sobel MP (Labour), former Shadow Minister for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment

Nadia Whittome MP (Labour)

EU

Patrick Breyer MEP (Greens, Germany)

Pascal Durand MEP (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, France)

Engin Eroglu MEP (Renew Europe, Germany)

Anna Fotyga MEP (European Conservatives & Reformists, Poland), former Foreign Secretary of Poland

Michael Gahler MEP (European People’s Party, Germany)

Marketa Gregorová MEP (Greens, Czechia)

Francisco Guerreiro MEP (Greens, Portugal)

Rasa Juknevi?ien? MEP (European People’s Party, Lithuania), former Defence Minister of Lithuania

Andrius Kubilius MEP (European People’s Party, Lithuania), former Prime Minister of Lithuania

Pierre Larrouturou MEP (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, France)

David Lega MEP (European People’s Party, Sweden)

Miriam Lexmann MEP (European People’s Party, Slovakia), Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) and Patron of Hong Kong Watch

Jan-Christoph Oetjen MEP (Renew Europe, Germany), Vice-President of the European Parliament

Kira Peter-Hansen MEP (Greens, Denmark)

Jordi Solé MEP (Greens, Spain)

Drago? Tudorache MEP (Renew Europe, Romania)

Hilde Vautmans MEP (Renew Europe, Belgium), President of European Liberal Forum

Germany

Katja Hessel MdB (FDP)

Roderich Kiesewetter MdB (CDU)

Boris Mijatovi? MdB (Greens), Spokesperson for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid of the Greens

Frank Müller-Rosentritt MdB (FDP)

Michael Roth MdB (SPD), Chair of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee

Derya Türk-Nachbauer MdB (SPD)

France

Constance Le Grip MP (Ensemble)

ASIA

Korea

Jung-Hoon Lee, former Ambassador of the Republic of Korea for Human Rights in North Korea and Patron of Hong Kong Watch

Malaysia

Andrew Khoo, Advocate and Solicitor, High Court of Malaya, Malaysia

NORTH AMERICA

US

Ambassador Sam Brownback, former United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, former Governor of Kansas and former Senator and Patron of Hong Kong Watch

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness

Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party

Representative Young Kim (R-CA), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific and House Foreign Affairs Committee

Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL),  Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party

Ambassador Derek Mitchell, former United States Ambassador to Myanmar, former President of the National Democratic Institute and Patron of Hong Kong Watch

Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT), Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference

Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA), Senior Member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party

Senator James Risch (R-ID), Ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Senior member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

Representative Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Co-Chair of the Freedom of the Press Caucus

Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Senior Member of the Congressional-Executive Committee on China and Chairman of the International Republican Institute

Canada

James Bezan MP (Conservative), Shadow Minister for National Defence and Patron of Hong Kong Watch

Michael Cooper MP (Conservative), Shadow Minister for Democratic Reform

Professor Irwin Cotler (Liberal), former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Canada, former Member of Parliament, Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and Patron of Hong Kong Watch

Greg McLean MP (Conservative)

Senator Pierre J. Dalphond (Progressive Senate Group)

Senator Leo Housakos (Conservative), Patron of Hong Kong Watch, former Speaker of the Senate

Tom Kmiec MP (Conservative), Shadow Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Melissa Lantsman MP (Conservative), Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Patron of Hong Kong Watch

John McKay MP (Liberal)

Former Senator Jim Munson (Liberal), former member of the Senate of Canada, former Whip of the Senate Liberal Caucus, former Chair of the Senate Human Rights Committee and Patron of Hong Kong Watch