The Five Eyes alliance have expressed concern after the Hong Kong government disqualified candidates and postponed elections of Legislative Council.
In a joint statement, the foreign secretaries of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States (the Five Eyes), said that the Hong Kong government’s decision have undermined the democratic process that has been fundamental to the city’s stability and prosperity.
“We the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and the United States Secretary of State are gravely concerned by the Hong Kong government’s unjust disqualification of candidates and disproportionate postponement of Legislative Council elections,” the statement read.
“We express deep concern at Beijing’s imposition of the new National Security Law, which is eroding the Hong Kong people’s fundamental rights and liberties,” it added.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam had announced that the Legislative Council elections scheduled for September 6 will be postponed over the COVID-19 threat.
In the statement, the ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence alliance called on the Hong Kong government to “reinstate the eligibility of disqualified candidates so that the elections can take place in an environment conducive to the exercise of democratic rights and freedoms as enshrined in the Basic Law”.
“Beijing promised autonomy and freedoms under the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle to the Hong Kong people in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, a U.N.-registered treaty, and must honor its commitments. We urge the Hong Kong government to hold the elections as soon as possible,” the statement said.