British parliamentarian refused entry to Hong Kong

HONG KONG (AP) — A British member of parliament was refused entry to Hong Kong last week, the first to have received such treatment since the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule in 1997.

Wera Hobhouse, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party representing Bath, wrote on social media platform Bluesky: “Authorities gave me no explanation for this cruel and upsetting blow. I hope the Foreign Secretary will recognise that this is an insult to all parliamentarians and seek answers from the Chinese Ambassador.”

Hobhouse said she flew to Hong Kong from the United Kingdom with her husband to visit their newly-born grandchild, whom she was unable to see or hold.

The British Consulate in Hong Kong replied to an Associated Press inquiry, saying it is aware that a U.K. member of parliament was denied entry into Hong Kong on Thursday and it was “raising this urgently” with the city’s authorities.

There was no immediate response from authorities in Hong Kong. However, in similar previous cases, they have said they give no explanations for refusing to allow entry

Hobhouse is one of more than 40 parliamentarians on the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China that scrutinizes Beijing’s human rights record. Beijing objects viscerally to all such criticism and has rendered the Sino-British Agreement under which Hong Kong was turned over to Chinese rule null and void. It has also slapped travel and financial sanctions on various Hong Kong officials who took part in the 2019 protests.

Since its return to China after 155 years, Hong Kong has seen diminishing Western-style civil liberties and has lost a high degree of autonomy despite promises by the ruling Communist Party in Beijing to keep the status quo for at least 50 years.

Pro-democracy protests that paralyzed Hong Kong in 2019 led to a crackdown that has all but silenced dissent through restricted elections, media censorship and a China-imposed national security law that saw a slew of opposition politicians jailed. Dozens of civil society groups have closed down.

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Associated Press writer Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report.