Samuel Case, FISM News

[elfsight_social_share_buttons id=”1″]

On Friday, the United States imposed sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the territory’s current and former police chiefs, and eight other officials for their role in curtailing political freedoms in the territory.

The sanctions were imposed under an executive order U.S. President Donald Trump signed last month to punish China for its moves against dissent in Hong Kong and are the latest action by his administration against Beijing.

Along with Lam,  the U.S. Treasury Department says the sanctions target Hong Kong Police commissioner Chris Tang and his predecessor Stephen Lo; John Lee Ka-chiu, Hong Kong’s secretary of security, and Teresa Cheng, the justice secretary.

The Department said Beijing’s imposition of draconian national security legislation had undermined Hong Kong’s autonomy and allowed mainland security services to operate with impunity, “setting the groundwork for censorship of any individuals or outlets that are deemed unfriendly to China.” In regards to Hong Kong’s leader, the department said, “Carrie Lam is the chief executive directly responsible for implementing Beijing’s policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes . . . .”

Last month, Carrie Lam postponed a Sept. 6 election to Hong Kong’s legislature by a year because of a rise in coronavirus cases, dealing a blow to the pro-democracy opposition that had hoped to make huge gains.

The United States condemned the action, saying it was the latest example of Beijing undermining democracy in the Chinese-ruled territory.

Sourced from Reuters American Wire, edited for brevity