Text · Resolution motion
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
Motion B-10-2026-0405 · 2026/2873(RSP)
- Kind
- Resolution motion B-10-2026-0405
- Date
- 14 September 2026
- Committee
- on behalf of the PPE Group
- Rapporteur
- Sebastião Bugalho, Miriam Lexmann, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Željana Zovko, Tomas Tobé, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Reinhold Lopatka, Andrey Kovatchev, Wouter Beke, Jan Farský, Michał Wawrykiewicz, Mirosława Nykiel, Magdalena Adamowicz, Liudas Mažylis, Danuše Nerudová, Łukasz Kohut, Tomáš Zdechovský, Vangelis Meimarakis, Ondřej Kolář, Ana Miguel Pedro, Jessica Polfjärd, Inese Vaidere, Luděk Niedermayer, Loránt Vincze
- Dossier
- 2026/2873(RSP)
More facts (3)
- Formats
- Official page PDF Word
- Subject matter
- DDLH, ELSJ
- Reference
- 2026/2873(RSP)
In short
A summary of the text written by AI; ¶ opens the paragraph it rests on.
AI: In short Written by AI from the official text — check the source · deepseek-flash · 20 Sept 2026
Parliament's resolution condemns the use of the National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance to dismantle freedoms in Hong Kong and calls for their repeal. It condemns the convictions of Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung and the arrest of bookseller Leticia Wong, and demands their release and the lifting of all charges. It calls for the release of Jimmy Lai and of all people detained for exercising fundamental freedoms, and for all charges against them to be dropped. It urges the EU Delegation to step up diplomatic engagement on these cases and asks the Council to sanction Hong Kong and Chinese officials under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.
Key points
- Parliament says fundamental freedoms and the rule of law in Hong Kong keep deteriorating because of a crackdown by the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.
- It says the authorities have used the National Security Law since 2020 to silence dissent, and that China breached its international legal obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which guaranteed Hong Kong a special status until 2047.
- It notes that bookseller Leticia Wong, owner of Hunter Bookstore and a former political reporter, was arrested on 24 June 2026 on charges of seditious intent and selling publications inciting hatred.
- It notes that Chow Hang-Tung and Lee Cheuk-Yan, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance, were arrested in September 2021 and charged under the National Security Law.
- It condemns the dismantling of freedom of expression, media freedom, peaceful assembly and association through the National Security Law, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance and related legislation, and calls for their repeal.
- It condemns the arrest and detention of Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung and urges Hong Kong to repeal their convictions and release them immediately and unconditionally.
- It demands that all charges against Leticia Wong be lifted, seized materials returned and reprisals against her, her family and associates stopped, and calls for her immediate and unconditional release.
- It deplores the detention of Jimmy Lai since 2020 and his harsh conditions, calls for his release, and calls for the release of all persons detained for exercising fundamental freedoms and for charges against them to be dropped.
- It notes that China has the largest number of imprisoned journalists, with at least 51 behind bars, and that at least 28 journalists have been prosecuted in Hong Kong since 2020, with eight presently detained.
- It urges the EU Delegation to intensify diplomatic engagement and monitoring on the cases of Chow Hang-Tung, Lee Cheuk-Yan, Leticia Wong, Jimmy Lai and related cases.
- It calls on the Council to list Hong Kong and Chinese officials responsible for serious human rights violations under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.
Who is affected
- Hong Kong authorities: urged to repeal convictions, lift charges and release detainees.
- Leticia Wong, Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung and Jimmy Lai: the resolution demands their release and the lifting of charges.
- Journalists, publishers, booksellers, human rights and pro-democracy activists detained in Hong Kong: calls for their release and dropped charges.
- EU Delegation: urged to intensify diplomatic engagement and monitoring.
- Council: asked to sanction Hong Kong and Chinese officials under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.
Figures and deadlines
- 24 June 2026: date Leticia Wong was arrested.
- September 2021: date Chow Hang-Tung and Lee Cheuk-Yan were arrested and detained.
- 2020: year the National Security Law entered into force.
- 2047: year until which the Sino-British Joint Declaration guaranteed Hong Kong a special status.
- at least 51: imprisoned journalists in China.
- at least 28: journalists prosecuted in Hong Kong since 2020.
- eight: journalists presently detained in Hong Kong.
Text
The text as parsed from the official Word file. Every paragraph has a link (¶) and can be saved to a project as a passage.
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
whereas fundamental freedoms and the rule of law in Hong Kong continue to steadily deteriorate due to the relentless crackdown by the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities;
whereas since 2020, the authorities have systematically instrumentalized the “National Security Law” (NSL) to silence any form of dissent; whereas through the imposition of the NSL and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO) China has breached its international legal obligations which guaranteed HK a special status until 2047 under the Sino-British Joint Declaration;
whereas journalist and bookseller Leticia Wong, owner of Hunter Bookstore and a former political reporter, was arrested on 24 June 2026 by the Hong Kong authorities on charges of seditious intent and selling publications inciting hatred against the Hong Kong government, judiciary and law enforcement agencies;
whereas human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists Chow Hang-Tung and Lee Cheuk-Yan were arrested and detained in September 2021, along with other activists and charged under the NSL; whereas prior to their arrest they both served as leaders of the pro-democracy Hong Kong Alliance;
Condemns in the strongest possible terms the intensified dismantling of freedoms, in particular freedom of expression, media freedom, peaceful assembly and association in Hong Kong through the instrumentalization of the NSL, the SNSO and related legislation and calls for their repeal;
Condemns the arrest and detention of Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung and urges the Hong Kong authorities to repeal the convictions and immediately and unconditionally release both;
Demands that all charges against and restrictions on bookseller Leticia Wong be lifted, all seized materials returned and reprisals against her, her family and associates stopped; calls for her immediate and unconditional release;
Deplores that the founder of the Apple Daily and democracy advocate Jimmy Lai has been detained since 2020 and subject to harsh detention conditions, leading to the deterioration of his physical and psychological health; calls for his immediate and unconditional release; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all persons detained for exercising their fundamental freedoms, including journalists, publishers, booksellers, human rights and pro-democracy activists and for all charges against them to be dropped;
Decries that China remains the country with the largest number of imprisoned journalists with at least 51 currently behind bars; stresses that since the NSL entered into force in 2020, at least 28 journalists have been prosecuted in Hong Kong, with eight presently detained;
Urges the EU Delegation to intensify diplomatic engagement and monitoring regarding the situation of Chow Hang-Tung, Lee Cheuk-Yan, Leticia Wong, Jimmy Lai and related cases;
Calls on the Council to list under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime Hong Kong and Chinese officials responsible for serious human rights violations;
Connections
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Sources & citation
Where the facts on this page come from, and how to cite it.
- Official source
- Data source
- Licensed CC BY 4.0.
- Retrieved
- 25 September 2026
Cite as
European Parliament (2026). “MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION The deteriorating situation of media freedom and freedom of expression in Hong-Kong, amid the recent arrest of bookseller Leticia Wong and the convictions of Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung”. Text, 14 September 2026. docId B-10-2026-0405, reference B10-0405/2026. EU Parl Watch Research. https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/B-10-2026-0405 (retrieved 25 September 2026). Official source: The text on the European Parliament’s website, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-10-2026-0405_EN.html. Data: EP Open Data API: document record, https://data.europarl.europa.eu/api/v2/documents/B-10-2026-0405 (CC BY 4.0).
BibTeX
@misc{epw-text-b-10-2026-0405,
author = {{European Parliament}},
title = {{MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION The deteriorating situation of media freedom and freedom of expression in Hong-Kong, amid the recent arrest of bookseller Leticia Wong and the convictions of Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung}},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-09-14},
howpublished = {\url{https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/B-10-2026-0405}},
url = {https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/B-10-2026-0405},
urldate = {2026-09-25},
publisher = {EU Parl Watch Research},
note = {Text. docId B-10-2026-0405, reference B10-0405/2026. Official source: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-10-2026-0405\_EN.html. Data: EP Open Data API: document record (CC BY 4.0)}
}