What changed

B100399/2026

European Parliament resolution on the deteriorating situation of media freedom and freedom of expression in Hong Kong following the recent arrest of bookseller Leticia Wong and the convictions of Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung

European Parliament resolution on deteriorating situation of media freedom and freedom of expression in Hong Kong following the recent arrest of bookseller Leticia Wong and the convictions of Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung

(2026/2873(RSP))

– having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

✦ Adds that Wong and her husband face between 7 and 21 years in prison, replacing the previous wording on possible sentences for seditious intentions and money laundering.

WhereasA. whereas bookseller and former district councillor for the now-disbandednow disbanded Civic Party Leticia Wong and her husband were arrested on 24 June 2026 and accused of selling seditious materials under the China-introduced National Security Law (NSL) introduced by China, and of money laundering; whereas they could both face up to seven years in prison for seditiousbetween intentions7 and up to fourteen21 years in prison for money laundering;prison;

✦ Adds that Jimmy Lai is serving a 20-year prison sentence in harsh conditions, and drops the reference to the Chinese government's violent crackdown on mostly unarmed civilians.

WhereasB. whereas Hong Kong’sKong activists,activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung,Hang-tung were sentenced to 7seven yearsyears, and Albert Ho to over 5five yearsyears, in prison,prison after being convicted under the NSL for organizingorganising annual vigils to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacremassacre; wherewhereas theJimmy ChineseLai governmentis violentlyserving crackeda down20-year onprison mostlysentence unarmedin civilians;harsh conditions;

✦ Wording Rephrases the description of the deterioration of freedoms and the arrest and conviction figures, with no change in what the text says.

WhereasC. whereas these prosecutions reflect the further dramatic deterioration of freedom of expression, media freedom and judicial independence in Hong Kong, following the introduction of the NSL in 2020 and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO) in 2024; whereas since the beginning of June 2026, 401 individualspeople have been arrested for various national security crimescrimes, and 182 have been convicted;

✦ Drops the paragraph on China breaching the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and adds a call to condemn the dismantling of freedoms and repeal the National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.

Whereas by imposing the NSL, China has breached an international legally binding agreement, which guaranteed Hong Kong special status until 2047 under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which remains applicable to Hong Kong;

1. Condemns in the strongest possible terms the intensified dismantling of freedoms in Hong Kong, in particular freedom of expression, media freedom, and freedom of peaceful assembly and association, through the application of the NSL and the SNSO, and calls for their repeal;

✦ Wording Rephrases the condemnation of the arrest of Leticia Wong and the sentencing of Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung, Albert Ho and all other political prisoners.

2. Condemns in the strongest terms the arrest of Leticia Wong, and the sentencing of Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung andHang-tung, Albert Ho,Ho and all other political prisoners;

✦ Adds Lai to the list of people whose release is urged, and drops the reference to Jimmy Lai and Joshua Wong from the call to drop charges.

3. Urges the Hong Kong authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Wong, Cheuk-yan,Lee, Hang-tung,Chow, HoHo, Lai and all other individualsothers detained for exercising their fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression and assembly, and to drop all charges against them, such as Jimmy Lai and Joshua Wong;them;

✦ Drops the denunciation of prosecutions as silencing independent media and the calls to suspend extradition treaties and protect persecuted individuals, and adds a recall of Hong Kong's ICCPR obligations and the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Denounces these arbitrary prosecutions as clear evidence of a systematic effort to silence Hong Kong's independent media, free speech, and political opposition; insists on the repeal of the NSL and the SNSO; urges all EU Member States to suspend extradition treaties with China and to protect persecuted individuals in the EU from the risks of transnational repression;

4. Recalls that Hong Kong remains bound by its ICCPR obligations; reiterates that the Sino-British Joint Declaration remains legally binding and calls on the Chinese authorities to honour the commitments made therein and in the Hong Kong Basic Law;

✦ Adds Ho and Lai to the list of cases for the EU Delegation to monitor, and drops the call to raise Hong Kong human rights cases in every meeting with the Hong Kong side.

Calls5. onUrges the EU Delegation to intensify diplomatic engagement and monitoring regarding the situation of Wong, Lee, ChowChow, andHo, HoLai and all other related cases, and raise Hong Kong human rights cases during every meeting with the Hong Kong side;cases;

✦ Drops the instruction to forward the resolution, adds a stress on human rights in EU-China relations and a call to strengthen the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue, and adds a call for sanctions and for suspending extradition treaties.

Urges the Council to urgently review its 2020 Conclusions on Hong Kong and adopt sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime against Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and all Hong Kong and People’s Republic of China (PRC) officials responsible for the crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong;

6. Stresses that respect for human rights, media freedom and the rule of law must be at the core of EU-China relations; calls for the EU to raise these issues and cases systematically in all bilateral and multilateral engagements and strengthen the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue effectively;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Member States, the Commission and the Council, the PRC and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

7. Urges the Council to urgently adopt sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime against Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and all Hong Kong and Chinese officials responsible for the crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong;

8. Urges all Member States to suspend extradition treaties with China and to protect persecuted individuals in the EU from the risks of transnational repression;

9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Member States, the Commission, the VP/HR, the Council, the PRC and the Hong Kong SAR.