The UK authorities is shifting to reinstate extradition cooperation with Hong Kong that was suspended 5 years in the past on account of considerations concerning the metropolis’s Chinese language nationwide safety legal guidelines.
The Dwelling Workplace utilized to Parliament to make the adjustments on July 17, adopted by a letter to Shadow Dwelling Secretary Chris Philp the following day.
“It’s in our nationwide curiosity to have efficient extradition relationships to stop criminals from evading justice and the UK changing into a haven for criminals,” the July 18 letter from Safety Minister Dan Jarvis stated.
The Dwelling Workplace additionally plans to revive an extradition framework with Chile and Zimbabwe, in response to the letter, which was shared on X by Conservative MP Alicia Kearns.
Circumstances for Hong Kong and Zimbabwe would each be thought-about on a “case-by-case foundation,” Jarvis stated.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, is a specific sticking level for the UK on account of their historic relationship and the sharp decline in political freedoms in Hong Kong since China imposed controversial nationwide safety laws in 2020.
In 2024, legislators in Hong Kong accepted a brand new nationwide safety legislation - known as Article 23 – that gave the federal government new powers to crack down on all types of dissent on the grounds of alleged treason, espionage, sedition and exterior interference in Hong Kong’s inner affairs.
On the time, Hong Kong’s authorities stated Article 23 was wanted to stop a recurrence of the protests of 2019, and that its provisions would solely have an effect on “a particularly small minority” of disloyal residents.
The UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany and the USA all suspended their extradition agreements in 2020 with the Chinese language metropolis on account of considerations about how the legal guidelines could be used.
“In my opinion, reinstating extradition with Hong Kong is morally indefensible. The Chinese language Communist Social gathering has turned Hong Kong right into a surveillance state the place freedom of expression, rule of legislation, and fundamental civil liberties are systematically dismantled,” Kearns wrote on X.
“This transfer dangers legitimizing a regime that imprisons critics, silences democracy activists, and makes use of extradition as a device of persecution,” she stated.
Right here is the letter from the Dwelling Workplace.
In my opinion, reinstating extradition with Hong Kong is morally indefensible.
The Chinese language Communist Social gathering has turned Hong Kong right into a surveillance state the place freedom of expression, rule of legislation, and fundamental civil liberties are… pic.twitter.com/6gb923QXKb
— Alicia Kearns MP (@aliciakearns) July 24, 2025
Ronny Tong, a Hong Kong barrister and member of town’s government council, instructed Al Jazeera that considerations a couple of potential extradition deal have been overblown.
“Extradition is in relation to non-political prison instances, so any worry that it’d be used to switch individuals with political crimes, eg, nationwide safety instances, is completely unfounded and solely exhibits ignorance of the process,” he stated. “Moreover, it’s as much as judges of the transferring state to make sure the process won’t be abused.”
He stated town was “greater than able to restart the association, as we’ve full confidence our judges are completely unbiased and of highest integrity”.
Hong Kong’s 2020 nationwide safety legislation criminalised secession, subversion, terrorism and overseas interference, and was supplemented in 2024 to incorporate treason, sedition, theft of state secrets and techniques, espionage, sabotage, and exterior interference.
Hong Kong’s authorities has stated the legal guidelines are essential to guard town from political sabotage and overseas affect, following months of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.
Safety Minister Chris Tang stated in June that 326 individuals have been arrested below Hong Kong’s nationwide safety legal guidelines since 2020.
The federal government has additionally used worldwide bounties to broaden its attain to Hong Kong activists overseas, or cancelled their passports whereas they have been abroad.
The strikes have been seen as largely symbolic, but in addition chilling for a metropolis that was as soon as thought-about the freest place in Asia.
On Friday, Hong Kong issued a brand new checklist of bounties for 19 activists concerned with a pro-Hong Kong democracy NGO in Canada.
Hong Kong returned to Chinese language sovereignty in 1997 as a “particular administrative area” and was promised particular rights and freedoms till 2047, below the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
