Sir, The imprisonment of Joshua Wong and two other leaders of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong is a serious error on the part of Hong Kong’s government. It will be very difficult to persuade the world that this does not represent a further deterioration in the quality of Hong Kong’s free and pluralist way of life. The responsibility for this deplorable decision rests clearly on the Hong Kong government’s shoulders. It decided — with the Secretary of Justice prominent in making the decision — to appeal against the non-custodial sentences passed on these young and brave democracy activists.

It will be well nigh impossible to persuade Hong Kongers and the city’s well-wishers around the world that this was other than a vindictive move by the government (as Amnesty International has argued) to prevent these young men from being able to stand for election to Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. Apologists for the government’s decision will also have their work cut out to convince anyone that this is not a further example of Beijing tightening its grip on Hong Kong’s aspirations to remain a free society. The deplorable decision will not of course curtail Hong Kong’s ambitions for greater democracy. It will surely have the opposite effect. The names of Joshua Wong, Alex Chow and Nathan Law will be remembered long after the names of those who have persecuted them have been forgotten and swept into the ashcan of history. I hope that the UK government and other friends of Hong Kong will make their views clear about this case.

Lord Patten of Barnes

Governor of Hong Kong, 1992-97

Letters in response to this letter:

It is China tearing up Hong Kong’s freedoms / From Benedict Rogers, Motspur Park, Surrey, UK

Unlawful protest must come at a price / From Bertrand de Speville, Richmond, Surrey, UK

Glory seekers thoroughly deserve their sentences / From M A Pitcher, Hong Kong

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