WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam calling on her to stand up for the men and women fighting for their basic rights in Hong Kong and immediately release the pro-democracy activists arrested under the new “National Security Law.

Read the Senator’s letter HERE or below. 

Mrs. Carrie Lam

Chief Executive

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

People's Republic of China

Dear Chief Executive Lam:

I write to you with great concern about the imprisonment of Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow, and Ivan Lam, as well as the decision by Hong Kong courts to charge Jimmy Lai under your new “National Security Law.”

Mr. Wong, Ms. Chow, Mr. Lam, and Mr. Lai are the faces of true bravery and are fighting for the freedom and liberties all Hong Kongers were promised under the 1997 Handover.

Last year, I became the first U.S. Senator to travel to Hong Kong after the protests began, and I had the unique opportunity to meet with you. During our meeting, I was disappointed you refused to answer even basic questions about the rights of Hong Kongers. You claim to value freedom, democracy, and Hong Kong’s partnership with the United States, but over the past two years, you have proved to be nothing more than a puppet for General Secretary Xi and the Chinese Communist Party.

In November, you had pro-democracy lawmakers arrested for an incident that occurred in May, months before your so-called “National Security Law” took effect, and you welcomed the resignations of other lawmakers who stood for human rights. You have used the law to issue warrants for American citizens living in the United States, and you have sent spies to Taiwan to surveil Hong Kongers seeking freedom. And now, you are using the law to unfairly and unjustly prosecute men and women for standing up for freedom and participating in peaceful protests.

Because you have bowed to the wishes of Beijing and General Secretary Xi, your people are hurting. Hong Kong’s economy has been shattered, small businesses and international corporations are leaving, the government has lost all special privileges with the United States, and your people live in fear. You have failed Hong Kong and its citizens, and if you do not start standing for the freedoms the people of Hong Kong were rightfully promised, history will judge you harshly.

I urge you to immediately release Mr. Wong, Ms. Chow, Mr. Lam, and Mr. Lai, and all other Hong Kongers who have been arrested for expressing the right to peacefully protest. They have not committed actual crimes, rather they have bravely dared to offend the fragile sensibilities of Xi Jinping. Now, you have the chance to finally do what is right, and choose instead to honor these brave men and women for their commitment to fighting for basic rights for Hong Kongers. 

Sincerely,

Rick Scott
United States Senator