Merkley Condemns Hong Kong Court Sentencing Pro-Democracy Advocate’s Father

Washington, D.C. - Today, Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley-a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and past Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)-issued a statement following the sentencing of Kwok Yin-sang, the father of U.S.-based activist Anna Kwok, who was put on trial in Hong Kong after Anna spoke out against Beijing's crackdown in Hong Kong:

"The United States must never back down in the face of China's campaign of global repression. Kwok Yin-sang's cruel sentencing is the latest act of the Chinese government reaching across borders to silence dissent, wherever it appears. He was put through a sham trial-via a Hong Kong court acting on China's behalf-because his daughter Anna spoke out against Beijing's abuse of the basic rights of Hong Kongers.

"The Chinese and Hong Kong governments' coordinated crackdown on free speech and the rule of law makes clear that Beijing's goal is forced control of the people of Hong Kong. As long as this repression continues, the U.S. cannot allow China to rely on institutions such as Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices (HKETOs) to enable intimidation and surveillance on American soil.

"One part of holding China accountable is to pass my bipartisan Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Certification Act, which would require the State Department to certify whether HKETOs should continue to receive diplomatic privileges in the United States. While HKETOs nominally promote business and trade, in reality, they are outposts of repression as China has shredded any meaningful liberty that Hong Kong once had. Republicans and Democrats must be unequivocal that there will be consequences for Beijing's destruction of Hong Kong's autonomy. We stand with Hong Kongers across the globe as they fight for their rights and their future."

As past Chair of the CECC and a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Merkley has led the charge to spotlight China not just silencing people inside Hong Kong but engaging in transnational repression by going after their families overseas. He leads the bipartisan HKETO Certification Act with current CECC Chair Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Senator John Curtis (R-UT), and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) to crack down on the Chinese government-controlled HKETOs in the U.S. Following her father's conviction, Anna Kwok called on U.S. lawmakers to pass Merkley's bipartisan bill.

Merkley also leads the Transnational Repression Policy Act-landmark, bipartisan legislation that takes aim at the growing threat of transnational repression to hold foreign authoritarian governments and individuals accountable when they stalk, intimidate, or assault dissidents and diaspora communities across their borders, including in the United States.

###