Admin l Sunday, August 09, 2020
WASHINGTON -More countries have continued to condemn disqualification of candidates and postponement of elections in Hong Kong, stressing that the move undermines democracy.
Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States Secretary of State made the condemnation in a statement.
“We the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and the United States Secretary of State are gravely concerned by the Hong Kong government’s unjust disqualification of candidates and disproportionate postponement of Legislative Council elections. These moves have undermined the democratic process that has been fundamental to Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity”, they said in a joint statement.
They expressed deep concern at Beijing’s imposition of the new National Security Law, which they described as eroding the Hong Kong people’s fundamental rights and liberties.
“We support the legitimate expectations of the people of Hong Kong to elect Legislative Council representatives via genuinely free, fair, and credible elections.
“We call on the Hong Kong government to reinstate the eligibility of disqualified candidates so that the elections can take place in an environment conducive to the exercise of democratic rights and freedoms as enshrined in the Basic Law”, they said.
According to them, Beijing promised autonomy and freedoms under the “One Country, Two Systems” principle to the Hong Kong people in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, a U.N.-registered treaty, and therefore under obligation to honor its commitments.
“We urge the Hong Kong government to hold the elections as soon as possible”, they said.
