‘In Hong Kong, the CCP has completely corrupted the local judiciary and is turning it into a tool of intimidation and injustice,’ Sen. Dan Sullivan said.
A bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation requiring the Trump administration to address Hong Kong’s dwindling freedoms since its handover from the United Kingdom to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), incoming chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC); Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), co-chair of the CECC; and John Curtis (R-Utah) introduced the Hong Kong Judicial Sanctions Act (S 1755) on May 16.
The legislation requires the president to review whether 49 Hong Kong officials, including four who were sanctioned by the Treasury Department in 2020, committed human rights violations and should be sanctioned in accordance with the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, or the Hong Kong Autonomy Act.
“The Chinese Communist Party’s aggressive repression of dissent and appalling human rights record extend far beyond China’s borders. Even American citizens and others lawfully living in our country have found themselves victims of the CCP regime’s intimidation and coercion tactics,” Sullivan said in a statement.
“In Hong Kong, the CCP has completely corrupted the local judiciary and is turning it into a tool of intimidation and injustice, contrary to the promises made to the world, including in the Sino-British Joint Declaration. America must stand firmly against the CCP’s flagrant violation of the civil rights of the Chinese people and citizens of nations across the globe.”
The push for the legislation comes nearly four years since the CCP imposed its so-called national security law on Hong Kong, which punishes vaguely defined crimes, such as secession and subversion against the communist party, with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. In March last year, the Hong Kong government passed an additional sweeping national security law known as Article 23.
As of Nov. 1, 2024, 304 had been arrested for national security offenses in Hong Kong, while 176 were charged and at least 167 convicted or awaiting sentencing, the British government stated in a report released in March, citing the Hong Kong Security Bureau.
The U.S. bill named Johnny Chan, Andrew Chan, and Alex Lee, who are three Hong Kong judges responsible for handing down prison sentences under the national security law against 45 pro-democracy activists in November last year. Benny Tai, a former University of Hong Kong law professor, received the harshest sentence of the rulings of 10 years.
By Frank Fang
