Disqualification of District Councillors in Hong Kong ‘deeply concerning’, says Liz Truss

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has today criticised the disqualification of District Councillors in Hong Kong.

In a statement released today, Ms Truss said: “It is deeply concerning that 55 District Councillors have been disqualified and over 250 pressured to resign for political reasons – the first time that such action has been taken against democratically elected District Councillors in the Hong Kong SAR. This comes as trade unions, interest groups and NGOs have been forced to disband.

“The Hong Kong SAR Government must uphold freedom of speech and allow the public a genuine choice of political representatives.”

Her remarks came after the news that the Hong Kong government has disqualified 16 more district councillors from the New Territories, Hong Kong’s geographically largest region, where half of its population resides.

This decision means only around 60 pro-democracy councillors remain in office across Hong Kong, a ‘special administrative region’(SAR) of China.

In November 2020 a quarter of pro-democracy lawmakers were ousted from the SAR’s legislature, solidifying Beijing’s grip on the city, and eliminating the body’s opposition for the first time since the UK handed over the territory in 1997.