Hong Kong must build ‘reassuring’ environment amid political criticism: Paul Lam

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok stated that Hong Kong must focus on the practical work of creating a safe and convenient environment to reassure the international community. Speaking on a radio programme, Lam noted that while political criticism is inevitable, the city should not allow it to distract from achieving concrete results through action.

These remarks follow a joint statement from 10 countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, and Japan, which criticized the jail sentence of opposition activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung. The South China Morning Post reports that these nations claimed Wong's sentence and the imprisonment of others demonstrate that the national security law is being used as a tool for political repression.

Wong, 30, was sentenced to 10 years in prison last Thursday for his involvement in a global campaign seeking sanctions against mainland China and Hong Kong following the 2019 anti-government protests. He was due to complete a separate sentence of four years and eight months for conspiracy to commit subversion related to an unofficial 2020 primary election.

Brief written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post - Hong Kong, South China Morning Post — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.