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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called for the immediate release of Hong Kong dissidents who have been charged and arrested on the basis of the controversial Chinese security law.
In the online service Twitter, Blinken am Sonntag (local time) condemned the crackdown on the pro-democratic opposition in the Chinese special administrative region.
"Political participation and freedom of expression shouldn't be a crime," wrote Blinken.
The US is on the side of the people in Hong Kong.
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Dozens of pro-democracy activists were accused of "subversion" in Hong Kong on Sunday.
47 of them are accused of "conspiracy to overthrow", the police said.
You should appear in court on Monday.
Hundreds of people gathered in front of the courthouse that morning.
The demonstrators shouted, "Release all political prisoners," and held up three fingers as a sign of protest.
The gesture has now also become a symbol of the pro-democratic protests in Thailand and Myanmar.
The suspects on Sunday form a broad cross-section of the Hong Kong opposition, including former MPs as veterans of the democracy movement, academics, lawyers, social workers and numerous young activists.
The allegation of subversion was also brought against Joshua Wong, who is also a columnist for WELT AM SONNTAG.
A man holds up a placard with the faces of pro-democracy activists aloft
Source: AP / Vincent Yu
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The so-called security law passed by China at the end of June allows the authorities to crack down on all activities that they believe threaten the national security of China.
This includes activities that Beijing considers to be subversive, separatist, terrorist or a conspiracy with foreign forces.
Violations can result in life imprisonment.
The accused are regularly denied a release on bail until the start of the trial.
The law represents the most serious encroachment on Hong Kong's autonomy status to date. Beijing was responding to the mass protests in 2019. When it was handed over to China in 1997, the former British crown colony had been granted special rights for 50 years, including freedom of expression and assembly.
Western states see the so-called security law as a blatant violation of the agreements made at the time.