The UK is moving to re -hand over a deal with Hong Kong despite fears Politics News

The UK government is moving to the re -delivery of Hong Kong, which was suspended five years ago due to concerns about Chinese national security laws in the city.

The Ministry of the Interior applied to Parliament to make changes on July 17, followed by a letter to the Shadow Chris Philp the next day.

“It is our national interest to have effective delivery relations to prevent criminals from evading justice and the United Kingdom a haven for criminals,” said Dan Garvis on July 18.

The Ministry of the Interior also plans to restore a delivery framework with Chile and Zimbabwe, according to the message, which was shared by X by Governor MP Alicia Kirins.

Garvis said that the cases of Hong Kong and Zimbabwe are considered both on the basis of “each case separately.”

Hong Kong, the former British colony, is a belonging to the United Kingdom due to its historical relationship and the sharp decline in political freedoms in Hong Kong since China has imposed controversial national security legislation in 2020.

In 2024, Hong Kong lawmakers agreed to the new national security law – It is referred to Article 23 – This gave the government new powers to eliminate all forms of opposition on the basis of alleged betrayal, espionage, fatwa and external interference in the internal affairs of Hong Kong.

At that time, the Hong Kong government said that Article 23 is necessary to prevent recurrence 2019 protestsAnd that its provisions will only affect a “very small minority” of the unique population.

The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Germany and the United States all suspended its delivery agreements in 2020 with the Chinese city because of concerns about how the laws are used.

“From my point of view, Hong Kong is an irreplaceable defense. The Chinese Communist Party has turned Hong Kong into a monitoring state where freedom of expression, law and civil liberties systematically dismantled.”

She said: “This step risks legitimacy to the regime that imprisons critics, silences democratic activists, and uses delivery as a tool for persecution.”

Here is the message from the Ministry of Interior.

In my view, Hong Kong’s re -delivery is not morally defended.

The Chinese Communist Party has transformed Hong Kong into a monitoring state where freedom of expression, the rule of law and the basic civil freedoms … pic.twitter.com/6gb923qxkb

– Alicia Kearns MP (Aliciaeekarns) July 24, 2025

Rooney Tong, Hong Kong’s lawyer and member of the city’s executive council, told Al -Jazeera that anxiety about a possible handover deal was exaggerated.

He said: “Delivery is related to non -political criminal cases, so any fear of using it to transfer people who suffer from political crimes, for example, national security cases, is unfounded and only appears to be ignorant of the procedure.” “Moreover, the matter is up to the state judges to ensure that the procedure is not misused.”

He said that the city “is more than ready to restart the ranking, because we have a complete confidence that our judges are completely independent and higher.”

Hong Kong National Security Law for 2020 criminalized separation, sabotage, terrorism and foreign intervention, and was completed in 2024 to include treason, apple, stealing state secrets, espionage, vandalism, and external interference.

The Hong Kong government said that the laws are necessary to protect the city from political sabotage and foreign influence, after months of demonstrations supporting democracy in 2019.

Security Secretary Chris Tang said in June that 326 people have been arrested under Hong Kong’s national security laws since 2020.

The government also used international rewards to expand its access to Hong Kong activists abroad, or canceled their passports while they were abroad.

These moves have been considered largely symbolic, but they are chilling in a city that was once considered the best place in Asia.

On Friday, Hong Kong released a new list of rewards for 19 activists involved in a non -governmental organization for democracy in Canada.

Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 as a “private administrative zone” and promised special rights and freedoms until 2047, according to the British declaration of China.