Ten countries – including the “Five Eyes” allies – have called for an immediate end to “unjust prosecutions” under Hong Kong’s national security law after opposition activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung was jailed for 10 years, while the government has urged foreign forces to stop their “baseless malicious attacks”.
The foreign ministers of the 10 countries issued a joint statement on Friday, a day after the High Court sentenced Wong over his role in a global campaign to instigate sanctions against mainland China and the city following the 2019 anti-government protests.
“These are further examples of how the national security law is being used to target individuals for political expression and participation,” said the statement from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.