Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was saddened by the mass arrests made in Hong Kong Wednesday, following the new national security laws China…
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was saddened by the mass arrests made in Hong Kong Wednesday, following the new national security laws China instated — severely limiting Hong Kong’s right to freedom of speech and to protest.
“Free Hong Kong was one of the world’s most stable, prosperous, and dynamic cities,” Pompeo said in a press conference Wednesday. “Now it will be just another communist-run city, where its people will be subject to the party elite’s whims. It’s sad.”
Thousands protested the new security laws that went into full effect overnight Tuesday. Over 300 people were arrested Wednesday, with nine demonstrators specifically arrested for reportedly violating the new laws.
The security laws, which have been repeatedly condemned by the United States, Taiwan and several European countries, criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with sentences facing up to life in prison.
The freedom to protest and freedom of speech have been restricted by the new laws, as any anti-Chinese government sentiments are now punishable by law.
