Legislative change comes five years after treaty suspended in response to city’s crackdown on pro-democracy activists
Exiled Hong Kong dissidents say they fear UK government plans to restart some extraditions with the city could put them in greater danger, saying Hong Kong authorities will use any pretext to pursue them.
An amendment to UK extradition laws was passed on Tuesday. It came more than five years after the UK and several other countries suspended extradition treaties with Hong Kong in response to the government crackdown on the pro-democracy movement, and its imposition of a Beijing-designed national security law.
The UK Home Office says the suspension of the treaty made all extraditions with Hong Kong impossible “even if there were strong operational grounds” because it was still listed as a treaty state in the law. The amendment has redesignated Hong Kong as a non-treaty state, bringing it into line with other countries (including China) for extraditions assessed on a case-by-case basis.
The security minister Dan Jarvis has said London will “never allow” extraditions for political purposes. All requests are assessed by courts, and subjects have the right to appeal.
