Hong Kong: former MPs arrested for clashes in Parliament

Pro-Democrat MP Ray Chan expelled from the precincts of Hong Kong's parliament for throwing a smelly mixture near the session chair during the vote on a law deemed to kill the Chinese anthem on May 8, 2020. AP - Kin Cheung

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4 min

Three former Hong Kong deputies were arrested for having participated in the spring disturbances in the Legislative Council, the local parliament, with the aim of delaying the adoption of a text penalizing any insult to the national anthem and the Chinese flag.

The opposition denounces a government that is becoming tyrannical when there is no longer any opposition MP in Parliament since the mass resignation of the pro-democracy camp. 

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Ted Hui, Eddie Chu and Ray Chan, three former opposition MPs, active and popular, were charged with " 

" and " 

 ".

They must appear in court this Thursday afternoon, November 19.

The offense against the laws they are accused of violating is punishable by three years in prison.

At the end of May, they had spilled a mixture of rotten plants and liquid fertilizer in the chamber of deputies.

This had stained the carpet but also, according to the police, " 

 " the Speaker of Parliament, Andrew Leung. 

Above all, the session had to be suspended and resumed in another room.

The law penalizing the non respect of the national anthem and the Chinese flag had finally been passed.

Folklore tolerated until then 

Until now the clashes in Parliament were almost seen as folklore, regrettable but despite everything tolerated.

The behavior of some deputies of the pro-Beijing camp is also far from irreproachable.

But when Ray Chan himself lodged a complaint against a pro-Beijing deputy who dragged him to the ground for several meters holding him by the shirt collar, his complaint was not accepted.  

The European Union office in Hong Kong has expressed concern and said it is monitoring the case closely. 

China accused of violating its international commitments

This triple indictment comes as the political repression of the pro-democracy opposition in the Hong Kong parliament intensifies.

The central government in Beijing has issued a new resolution to exclude elected officials from the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.

An approach strongly criticized this Wednesday by the alliance " 

 " (the "Five eyes") grouping the intelligence services of five Anglo-Saxon countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The Chinese move is intended to silence opponents, according to this alliance.

" 

 ," foreign ministers of the five countries said in a joint statement.

Four deputies already excluded from the local parliament

Hong Kong last week expelled four opposition politicians from the Legislative Council just after Beijing gave local authorities new powers to stem the dissent.

This announcement caused a wave of resignations of pro-democracy elected officials in the former British colony.

► 

Like the United Kingdom, which accused China of having again violated the treaty governing the surrender of Hong Kong, the Western powers are alarmed at the attacks on the degree of autonomy available to the territory under this agreement. treaty.

“ 

 ” said the “Five Eyes” countries.

In Hong Kong, the Chinese foreign ministry responded by saying that any outside attempt to lead or pressure Beijing for concessions was " 

 ."

“ 

 ” the ministry added.

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