Britain has reassured Hongkongers settled in the country that they will not be handed over for “politically motivated purposes” under its plan to reinstate case-by-case extradition cooperation with the city, stressing the court can play its gatekeeping role.
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UK security minister Dan Jarvis made his remarks in a reply to David Alton, the chair of the joint committee on human rights in the House of Lords, who posted the letter on social media on Thursday, amid fears that the plan would send Hong Kong activists seeking refuge in the country to the city.
“This government will never allow a situation where Hongkongers or any other nationality is extradited for politically motivated purposes,” Jarvis wrote.
The UK government last week revealed its plan to reinstate some form of extradition cooperation with Hong Kong on a “case-by-case basis” after suspending arrangements five years ago.
The plan, which would de-designate Hong Kong from the country’s 2003 Extradition Act to allow Britain to cooperate with the city on an ad hoc basis for non-treaty partners, immediately triggered criticism from several members of the UK parliament.
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Jarvis stressed that the “extensive powers” of UK courts under the 2003 Act remained in place under the proposal, which allowed them to assess whether any individual extradition would be compatible with human rights or if it was politically motivated.