Baldwin, Bipartisan Colleagues Act to Condemn China’s Human Rights Abuses and Support Hong Kong Independence

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined a group of 40 Democratic and Republican colleagues in introducing a resolution condemning Beijing’s destruction of Hong Kong’s democracy and rule of law and its political persecution of Jimmy Lai and other pro-democracy advocates.

“I am proud to stand with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to condemn the Chinese government’s flagrant human rights violations and reaffirm our commitment to our democratic partner of Hong Kong,” said Senator Baldwin. “This Chinese Communist Party’s unjust attack on free speech, human rights, and democracy must stop, and this bipartisan effort makes clear the United States remains united in our stand with human rights activists, journalists, and anyone else persecuted by the Peoples Republic of China.”

Senators Jim Risch (R-ID) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) led the resolution and Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Todd Young (R-IN), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chris Coons (D-DE), Steve Daines (R-MT), Ben Lujan (D-NM), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kevin Cramer (D-ND), Ben Cardin (D-MD), John Boozman (R-AR), Gary Peters (R-MI), James Lankford (R-OK), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tina Smith (D-MN), Mike Braun (R-IN), Brian Schatz (D-HI), John Hoeven (R-ND), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) also joined Baldwin in signing the resolution.

This resolution:

• Condemns the Chinese government’s “Hong Kong national security law” and related human rights abuses.
• Supports the people of Hong Kong as they fight to exercise fundamental rights and freedoms.
• Condemns the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) practice of bringing false and politically-motivated charges against Hong Kongers, as well as the state-directed theft of Apple Daily – Jimmy Lai’s media company.
• Urges the U.S. government to use all available tools, including those authorized by the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, in response to the CCP’s actions in Hong Kong.
• Encourages the United States and other governments to press multilateral organizations to no longer grant Hong Kong voting rights separate from China.

Full text of the resolution can be found here.

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