13Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems call for robust action in face of China’s latest breach of Joint Declaration

Lib Dems call for robust action in face of China’s latest breach of Joint Declaration

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran has today challenged Ministers to "stop stalling" and act to hold China to account for putting democracy in Hong Kong in “mortal peril”. In an Urgent Question in the House of Commons, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran, who is also a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, called on the Government to commit to “decisive action”. Despite the Chinese Government making what Ms Moran described as a “mockery of the Joint Declaration”, the Foreign Office Minister Nigel Adams merely confirmed that Magnitsky sanctions were still “under consideration.” The Party is calling on the Government to work with international allies to take legal action against China’s latest breach of the Joint Declaration, as well as calling for a lifeboat system to…
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11Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Raab must condemn “reprehensible” disqualification of elected lawmakers in Hong Kong

Raab must condemn “reprehensible” disqualification of elected lawmakers in Hong Kong

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports that four opposition pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong have been disqualified with immediate effect, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said: “The disqualification of elected lawmakers in Hong Kong is reprehensible and marks another step in China’s work to end democracy and freedom on the peninsula. “The UK must immediately condemn this in the strongest possible terms. ‘One country, two systems’ is disappearing before our eyes. First the new national security law, now the unwinding of democracy - at what point will Dominic Raab step up? “Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to provide safe passage and a clear route to citizenship for all Hong Kongers, and to implement Magnitsky-style sanctions on individuals responsible for human rights abuses there.”
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29Sep 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Govt must prepare for international ‘lifeboat’ system for Hong Kongers, Lib Dems warn

Govt must prepare for international ‘lifeboat’ system for Hong Kongers, Lib Dems warn

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have agreed plans at their Autumn Conference that, if accepted by Ministers, would see all Hong Kongers offered a path to citizenship and a new international ‘lifeboat’ system if the situation in the region deteriorates further. Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael, the Chair of the APPG on Hong Kong and a Patron of Hong Kong watch, warned “the UK has a moral and legal duty to stand with Hong Kongers and ensure no one is left behind to suffer under the Chinese Communist Party." The debate at the Party’s first digital conference included contributions from anonymous members of the Liberal Democrats living in Hong Kong and saw speakers where a mask in solidarity with Joshua Wong, the pro-democracy protest leader in Hong Kong who was recently been…
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07Aug 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lib Dems back calls for Magnitsky-style sanctions against Hong Kong human rights abusers

Parliamentary news
The All Party Parliamentary Group for Hong Kong has published the findings of its inquiry into violations of human rights and humanitarian principles by the Hong Kong Police Force, including a series of recommendations.  Following the publication of the report Alistair Carmichael, Chair of the APPG for Hong Kong and Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said: “The APPG's first inquiry into the situation in Hong Kong has vital findings that the Government must sit up and listen to. "Among other things, implementing Magnitsky-style sanctions against those who have committed human rights violations in the territory must be an absolute priority. "The Government have kicked the can down the road long enough on this. If they are serious about promoting human rights abroad and about our legal duty to the people of Hong Kong then…
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23Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

All Hong Kongers must be given right to live in the UK

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Home Secretary's writen statement on the Government's BNO passport policy for Hong Kongers, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson and Chair of the APPG on Hong Kong Alistair Carmichael said: “The Government must put these measures in place as soon as possible to protect Hong Kongers. We have already seen how the Chinese Communist Party are using the new laws to crack down on people’s rights and freedoms. “Liberal Democrats have been calling for these protections since the time of Paddy Ashdown. We are pleased that the government is finally listening. “Now, we are urging Boris Johnson to ensure no one is left behind. The offer must be expanded to ensure all Hong Kongers have the right to live in the UK, regardless of whether they have BNO status.”
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20Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Chinese treatment of Uyghurs amounts to genocide, Lib Dem warns

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called on the Foreign Secretary to acknowledge that the Chinese government is "engineering a genocide of the Uyghur people" and to come before Parliament before the recess to set out the Government's response. In a letter to the Foreign Secretary, the Party's Foreign Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael urged the Government to use the next round of targeted sanctions on individuals responsible for human rights abuses in China. The intervention follows the Chinese Ambassador to the UK denying on The Andrew Marr Show that the Uyghur people are being transported across China for forced labour in factories. Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: “The images we have seen in recent days are harrowing and inhuman. The Government has a duty to take a lead and…
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01Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must not abandon Hong Kong youth

Parliamentary news
Following Raab's statement that China has broken the Joint Declaration by imposing the new 'security law' on Hong Kong, and that the UK govt will now be offering a path to citizenship for BNO status holders, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson and Chair of the APPG on Hong Kong Alistair Carmichael said: “It is right that the UK Government are taking swift action to help protect the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong, but they must go further. "The UK made a promise to the people of Hong Kong. We must keep that promise. "Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to make sure no one in the region is left behind. The Government’s current proposal abandons many young Hong Kongers, some of whom have been at the fore…
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04Jun 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

China is being wilfully ignorant with Hong Kong response

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports that China has warned the UK to “step back from the brink” over UK criticism of Beijing’s national security law for Hong Kong, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: “China's Foreign Ministry are being wilfully ignorant. The Sino-British Joint Declaration was not a unilateral announcement but a clear joint legal text, lodged at the UN. The clue is in the name. “Both the UK and China made promises to the people of Hong Kong during the Handover. Under the Joint Declaration, Hong Kong's 'one country, two systems' way of life was to be protected and enhanced. “Beijing has shown increasing contempt for the Joint Declaration and it is clear that the government must now ensure all Hong Kongers are given the right to live in the UK. Liberal…
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