Statement on the arrest of Cardinal Zen, Margaret Ng, Denise Ho and other members of the 612 Humanitarian Support Fund

IPAC STATEMENT ON THE ARRESTS OF A SCHOLAR, BARRISTER, CARDINAL, FORMER LEGISLATOR AND POP SINGER IN HONG KONG 

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemns the arrest of the trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Support Fund: scholar HUI Po-Keung, renowned barrister Margaret NG, Cardinal Joseph ZEN, former Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, former Legislative Council member Cyd HO and singer Denise HO under the Hong Kong National Security Law.

These arrests mark a new and deeply worrying phase in the crackdown upon what remains of Hong Kong’s civil society. The five arrested, including a 90-year-old clergyman, are each well-known and respected far beyond the borders of Hong Kong. By arresting them, John Lee, Hong Kong’s new Chief Executive, is posing a direct challenge to the international community and the autonomy promised to Hong Kong under international law. Failure to respond would send a devastating signal to the people of Hong Kong: that nobody is safe from the reaches of this nefarious law, not even those with international standing. 

IPAC calls for the immediate release of these individuals. We also call upon our governments to impose targeted sanctions on John Lee, and others involved in these persecutions. Immediate diplomatic pressure must be brought to bear upon the Hong Kong authorities, and all routes to legal accountability explored. Mere words are no longer enough.