Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench) on Wednesday, 10 October 2018, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 24 October 2018. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Wednesday, 24 October 2018 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Hong Kong: Press Freedom

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action, if any, they are taking in response to the decision by the government of Hong Kong to deny a work visa to the Financial Times’ Asia News Editor Victor Mallet; and whether they have made an assessment of the implications of that decision on (1) freedom of expression, and (2) the one country, two systems policy, in Hong Kong.

Answer

We remain very concerned by the Hong Kong authorities’ unprecedented rejection of a visa for senior British journalist Victor Mallet. In the absence of an explanation from the authorities we can only conclude that this move is politically motivated. We believe this undermines Hong Kong’s freedom of speech and freedom of the press, both guaranteed by the Joint Declaration, and the Basic Law, and increases the pressure on the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ framework. We urge the Hong Kong authorities to urgently reconsider this decision. Confidence in Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms is an essential component of its future success. We have raised this issue with the Hong Kong authorities.

​

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL10529
Session
2017-19
Subjects
Hong Kong Journalism Press freedom Visas Financial Times Mallet, Victor
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk