Members of the European Parliament on Thursday assumed a resolution on the human rights situation in Hong Kong, calling on the Council of the European Union to impose targeted sanctions on Hong Kong officials under the agreement EU global human rights sanctions regime.
The text was criticized Hong Kong’s national security law, The regulation, which has been in force since 2020 and has been subject to international condemnation since its introduction, and the National Security Safeguarding Ordinance, which has been in force since 2024 and calls for its immediate repeal. The official data presented in the text suggests that more than 400 people have been arrested and more than 180 convicted since the beginning of June 2026.
In addition, the resolution condemned the Arrested in June 2026 of bookseller Leticia Wong, the conviction of activists Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung and Albert Ho and a 20-year prison sentence for media owner Jimmy Lai. After adopting the resolution, deputies called for the charges against them to be dropped and political prisoners to be released, with 459 votes in favour, 12 against and 86 abstentions.
While the European Parliament’s formal declaration announces the adoption of the text, official documentation on precise legal provisions and follow-up monitoring mechanisms remains dependent on subsequent plenary minutes published by the European Parliament.
Lawmakers also called on the European Commission to impose sanctions on responsible Hong Kong and Chinese officials and work toward suspending Hong Kong’s separate membership in the World Trade Organization.
A spokesman for the Chinese mission to the European Union made the following comments after the European Parliament adopted the resolution strong dissatisfaction and staunch opposition, calling the move blatant interference in China’s internal affairs and judicial processes. Beijing defended the actions of Hong Kong’s legal authorities, saying the territory is a society governed by the rule of law where people who violate local laws must be held accountable.
Finally, Chinese officials called on the European Parliament to respect China’s sovereignty and the judicial independence of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and called for an immediate end to what Beijing called irresponsible comments on local trials.
