British parliamentarian refused entry to Hong Kong

A British Member of Parliament was refused entry to Hong Kong final week, the primary to have acquired such therapy because the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule in 1997.

Wera Hobhouse, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party representing Bath, wrote on social media platform Bluesky: “Authorities gave me no explanation for this cruel and upsetting blow. I hope the Foreign Secretary will recognise that this is an insult to all parliamentarians and seek answers from the Chinese Ambassador.”

Ms. Hobhouse mentioned she flew to Hong Kong from the United Kingdom along with her husband to go to their newly-born grandchild, whom she was unable to see or maintain.

The British Consulate in Hong Kong replied to an Associated Press inquiry, saying it’s conscious {that a} U.Okay. member of parliament was denied entry into Hong Kong on Thursday and it was “raising this urgently” with the town’s authorities.

There was no instant response from authorities in Hong Kong. However, in related earlier circumstances, they’ve mentioned they offer no explanations for refusing to enable entry.

Ms. Hobhouse is one in all greater than 40 parliamentarians on the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China that scrutinises Beijing’s human rights document. Beijing objects viscerally to all such criticism and has rendered the Sino-British Agreement beneath which Hong Kong was turned over to Chinese rule null and void. It has additionally slapped journey and monetary sanctions on varied Hong Kong officers who took half within the 2019 protests.

Since its return to China after 155 years, Hong Kong has seen diminishing Western-style civil liberties and has misplaced a excessive diploma of autonomy regardless of guarantees by the ruling Communist Party in Beijing to preserve the established order for at the very least 50 years.

Pro-democracy protests that paralyzed Hong Kong in 2019 led to a crackdown that has all however silenced dissent via restricted elections, media censorship and a China-imposed nationwide safety regulation that noticed a slew of opposition politicians jailed. Dozens of civil society teams have closed down.