Nov. 19 (UPI) -- The United States vowed Tuesday to impose visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials responsible for sentencing 45 pro-democracy leaders and advocates to lengthy prison terms.
The State Department made the announcement in a statement that did not specify whom they were going to target with the punitive measures or how many people would be affected.
The announcement came after a Hong Kong court sentenced 45 of the so-called Hong Kong 47 pro-democracy activists to prison terms of between 51 and 120 months on charges of conspiracy to commit subversion of the city's controversial and draconian National Security Law.
The defendants were arrested in a sweep of the city in January 2021 for holding an election primary in July 2020 to select pro-democracy politicians in an effort to try and secure a majority in the city's Legislative Council and vetoing power.
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The case was the largest yet brought under the National Security Law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in response to mass pro-democracy protests, which brought the city to a standstill in 2019.
The United States has repeatedly condemned China over its rollback of rights and imposition of restrictions on Hong Kong, including visa restrictions and sanctions against officials it holds responsible for the democratic backsliding.
In the statement Tuesday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the 45 defendants were "aggressively prosecuted" and imprisoned "for their peaceful participating in political activities" that are protected under Hong Kong's Basic Law, which protects the rights and freedoms of residents.
"We will continue to monitor the implementation of Hong Kong's national security laws and promote accountability for human rights in the PRC and Hong Kong," Miller said, referring to China by the initials of its official name, the People's Republic of China.
He also called on Hong Kong to immediately and unconditionally release the 45 defendants and other political prisoners.
"These harsh sentences erode confidence in Hong Kong's judicial system and harm the city's international reputation," he said.
"We continue to urge the PRC government and Hong Kong authorities to uphold Hong Kong's judicial independence, cease the use of vague national security laws to silence those peacefully expressing their political views, and restore the openness that was so crucial to Hong Kong's vitality and success."
