Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged to save Australian activist Gordon Ng from Hong Kong jail

Foreign Minister Penny Wong is being urged to secure the freedom of Australian democracy activist Gordon Ng in the same way the Government successfully lobbied for the release of journalist Cheng Lei.

And Bill Browder, who led the global campaign to introduce Magnitsky Acts, called for Australia, the US, EU and UK to impose sanctions on Hong Kong figures for human rights violations.

Hong Kong on Tuesday sentenced 45 activists and former politicians to between four and 10 years in prison in the culmination of Beijing’s national security crackdown that began in 2020 with the introduction of the national security law.

Among the jailed is Australian man Gordon Ng who was sentenced to seven years in jail.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong issued a statement saying she was “gravely concerned” by the sentencing and had sought consular access to Mr Ng.

“Australia has expressed our strong objections to the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities on the continuing broad application of national security legislation, including in application to Australian citizens,” Senator Wong said.

“We call for China to cease suppression of freedoms of expression, assembly, media and civil society, consistent with the Human Rights Committee and Special Procedure recommendations, including the repeal of the National Security Law in Hong Kong.”

Melbourne-based lawyer Kevin Yam – one of the two Australian Hong Kongers who Hong Kong police have issued bounties for his arrest worth around $200,000 – said the government should do more.

“Even one second of prison is too much, it’s an outrage,” he told The Nightly.

“We know that when the Australian authorities want to and try to with a concerted and long-term effort, they can get people like Cheng Lei released,” he said.

“And we expect that they should be doing the same in relation to Gordon Ng.