Progress: Procedure completed
Legal Basis:
RoP 144Events
The European Parliament adopted by 578 votes to 29, with 73 abstentions, a resolution on Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily.
The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA and ECR groups.
On 17 June 2021, 500 Hong Kong armed police raided the offices of the largest pro-opposition newspaper, Apple Daily. Five of the paper’s senior executives and editors were arrested. According to a Hong Kong police spokesperson, the newspaper executives and editors were arrested for their role in the publication of more than 30 articles calling on foreign countries to impose sanctions in relation to the National Security Law (NSL). Such calls were considered by the Hong Kong authorities as collusion with foreign countries endangering national security. Following the freeze of all its assets (around EUR 2 million) by the Hong Kong authorities on the basis of the NSL, Apple Daily was forced to definitively close on 24 June 2021 after 26 years. More than 800 Apple Daily staff have lost their job and are unlikely to be re-employed in Hong Kong.
The founder of Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai, is serving 20 months in jail for his involvement in the 2019 protest movement and faces additional charges under the NSL that carry a possible life sentence.
Parliament condemned in the strongest terms the forced closure of the Apple Daily newspaper, the continued freezing of its assets and the arrests of its journalists as yet another step by the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) in dismantling free society in Hong Kong and setting the definitive end of media freedom and freedom of expression there.
The resolution called on the Hong Kong authorities to:
- end all legal harassment and all intimidation directed at journalists;
- immediately and unconditionally release and drop all charges against all journalists, as well as all peaceful protesters, activists and political representatives, who have simply exercised their right to freedom of expression and other human rights and who have been arrested on charges pursuant to the NSL;
- stop politically motivated prosecutions and other legal procedures against peaceful protesters with a view to silencing critical voices and deterring people from participating in the public sphere.
Parliament condemns the emerging restrictions on the independence of the judiciary and the increasing politicisation of courts and stressed the urgent need to prevent, as the next step, the dismantling of Hong Kong’s independent judiciary. The EEAS is called on to prepare a detailed public report on the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in addition to the Hong Kong annual report.
The Chinese authorities are urged to repeal the NSL, which damages Hong Kong’s international status and the Hong Kong authorities are urged to fully restore respect for the rule of law, human rights, democratic principles and the high degree of autonomy under the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, as enshrined in the Hong Kong Basic Law and in line with its domestic and international obligations.
Recalling the importance of the EU continuing to raise the issue of human rights violations in China, the Commission and the Member States are called on to address the NSL as a top priority on the agenda of all EU-China meetings.
Member States are urged to:
- address the impasse and adopt new measures including targeted sanctions under the EU global human rights sanctions regime, including the implementation of travel bans and asset freezes, against individuals and entities in Hong Kong and China for the serious violations of human rights and international law in Hong Kong;
- coordinate the implementation of a ‘lifeboat scheme’ for pro-democracy activists and political leaders in Hong Kong following this escalating deterioration of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to issue emergency travel documents for journalists in Hong Kong who are at risk of arrest under the NSL.
Steps taken by the UK, Australia and Canada to open schemes to offer Hong Kong citizens the opportunity to live and work in their respective countries were welcomed by the Parliament.
Lastly, the Commission, the Council and the Member States are urged to decline invitations for government representatives and diplomats to attend the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics unless the Chinese Government demonstrates a verifiable improvement in the human rights situation in Hong Kong, the Xinjiang Uyghur Region, Tibet, Inner Mongolia and elsewhere in China.
Documents
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament: T9-0356/2021
- Motion for a resolution: B9-0384/2021
- Motion for a resolution: B9-0385/2021
- Motion for a resolution: B9-0388/2021
- Motion for a resolution: B9-0389/2021
- Motion for a resolution: B9-0390/2021
- Motion for a resolution: B9-0391/2021
- Joint motion for resolution: RC-B9-0385/2021
- Motion for a resolution: B9-0384/2021
- Motion for a resolution: B9-0385/2021
- Motion for a resolution: B9-0388/2021
- Motion for a resolution: B9-0389/2021
- Motion for a resolution: B9-0390/2021
- Motion for a resolution: B9-0391/2021
- Joint motion for resolution: RC-B9-0385/2021
Activities
- Dita CHARANZOVÁ
Plenary Speeches (2)
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
Institutional Motions (2) - Reinhard BÜTIKOFER
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
Institutional Motions (2) - Anna FOTYGA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
Institutional Motions (2) - Evelyne GEBHARDT
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
Institutional Motions (2) - Izaskun BILBAO BARANDICA
Institutional Motions (2)
- Fabio Massimo CASTALDO
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
Institutional Motions (1) - Deirdre CLUNE
Institutional Motions (2)
- Andrea COZZOLINO
Institutional Motions (2)
- Angel DZHAMBAZKI
Institutional Motions (2)
- José Manuel FERNANDES
Institutional Motions (2)
- Raffaele FITTO
Institutional Motions (2)
- Stanislav POLČÁK
Institutional Motions (2)
- Jiří POSPÍŠIL
Institutional Motions (2)
- Paulo RANGEL
Institutional Motions (2)
- María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS
Institutional Motions (2)
- Frédérique RIES
Institutional Motions (2)
- Bronis ROPĖ
Institutional Motions (2)
- Jordi SOLÉ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
Institutional Motions (1) - Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ
Institutional Motions (2)
- Ivan ŠTEFANEC
Institutional Motions (2)
- Tom VANDENKENDELAERE
Institutional Motions (2)
- Peter POLLÁK
Institutional Motions (2)
- Pedro MARQUES
Institutional Motions (2)
- Vladimír BILČÍK
Institutional Motions (2)
- Marcel KOLAJA
Plenary Speeches (2)
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
- David LEGA
Institutional Motions (2)
- Manu PINEDA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
Institutional Motions (1) - Michal ŠIMEČKA
Institutional Motions (2)
- Ramona STRUGARIU
Institutional Motions (2)
- Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI
Institutional Motions (2)
- Salima YENBOU
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
Institutional Motions (1) - Karen MELCHIOR
Institutional Motions (2)
- Elżbieta RAFALSKA
Institutional Motions (2)
- Janina OCHOJSKA
Institutional Motions (2)
- Elżbieta KRUK
Institutional Motions (2)
- Christian SAGARTZ
Institutional Motions (2)
- Vlad GHEORGHE
Institutional Motions (2)
- Ladislav ILČIĆ
Institutional Motions (2)
- Maria ARENA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
- Ignazio CORRAO
Institutional Motions (1)
- Rosa D'AMATO
Institutional Motions (1)
- Nicola DANTI
Institutional Motions (1)
- Sven GIEGOLD
Institutional Motions (1)
- Yannick JADOT
Institutional Motions (1)
- Ryszard Antoni LEGUTKO
Institutional Motions (1)
- Gwendoline DELBOS-CORFIELD
Institutional Motions (1)
- Klemen GROŠELJ
Institutional Motions (1)
- Henrike HAHN
Institutional Motions (1)
- Isabel SANTOS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
- Ivan Vilibor SINČIĆ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
- Nikolaj VILLUMSEN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2021/07/08 Hong Kong, notably the case of Apple Daily
- Francisco GUERREIRO
Institutional Motions (1)
Votes
Hong Kong, notamment le cas d'Apple Daily - RC-B9-0385/2021 - Am 1 08/07/2021 12:06:26.161 #
RC-B9-0385/2021 - Am 2 08/07/2021 12:06:26.161 #
RC-B9-0385/2021 - Am 3 08/07/2021 12:06:26.161 #
RC-B9-0385/2021 - Am 4 08/07/2021 12:06:26.161 #
Hong Kong, notamment le cas d'Apple Daily - RC-B9-0385/2021 - Proposition de résolution 08/07/2021 15:53:14.480 #
History
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