US’s Blinken condemns Hong Kong authorities over bounties for activists
Al Jazeera
Top US diplomat calls on international community to oppose ‘transnational repression’.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has condemned Hong Kong authorities for placing bounties on five pro-democracy activists based overseas, including a US citizen, calling on the international community to oppose “transnational repression”.
Blinken said on Friday that the bounties of one million Hong Kong dollars ($128,000) for information leading to the activists’ arrest showed Hong Kong authorities’ disregard for international norms and human rights.
“We strongly oppose any efforts to intimidate and silence individuals who choose to make the United States their home and will not waver in standing up for those who are targeted simply for exercising their human rights,” Blinken said in a statement.
“We encourage the international community to join us in condemning this act of transnational repression. The United States remains committed to defending the rights and freedoms of all people and calls on the PRC to act in a manner consistent with its international commitments and legal obligations,” the top US diplomat added, referring to the acronym of China’s official name, the People’s Republic of China.
United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Cameron earlier condemned Hong Kong authorities’ move as a “threat to our democracy and fundamental human rights”.
