US to sanction Hong Kong officials after activists convicted

WASHINGTON: The United States announced plans for new sanctions on Chinese officials on Friday after 14 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong were convicted a Beijing-imposed national security law.

The United States said it was taking steps towards restrictions on officials responsible for the conviction of 14 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong this week. Local authorities have condemned the move as “political manipulation.”

Read more: What you need to know about Hong Kong’s new national security laws

A court found the 14 pro-democracy activists guilty in a landmark subversion trial that critics pointed to as evidence of a continued crackdown on civil liberties.

“The United States is deeply concerned by the guilty verdicts announced in the national security law trial of pro-democracy organisers in Hong Kong,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

“The defendants were subjected to a politically motivated prosecution and jailed simply for peacefully participating in political activities protected under the Basic Law of Hong Kong.”

As a result, the US said it is planning fresh visa sanctions on Hong Kong officials responsible for implementing the security law.

Hong Kong accuses West of ‘slandering and smearing’

Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing government slammed what it said were “untruthful, slandering and smearing” remarks by Western governments on Friday.

It said “the so-called sanctions” mentioned by some foreign politicians smack of “despicable political manipulation.”

In addition to the US, the court’s decision was also condemned by the European Union, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Read more: Hong Kong court bans protest anthem, says it can be used as weapon

Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for the “release immediately and unconditionally (of) all those arbitrarily arrested and detained” under Hong Kong’s national security law.