Skip to main content

Pelosi Statement on Trial of Martin Lee and Pro-Democracy Leaders

February 22, 2021
Contact: Speaker's Press Office,
202-226-7616
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement on the Chinese government's ongoing trial of democracy leader Martin Lee, along with eight other pro-democracy leaders:
"Martin Lee is an embodiment of courage and principle, who has inspired millions of freedom-loving people worldwide in his peaceful and persistent fight to advance autonomy and democratic freedoms in Hong Kong and throughout China. The trial of Martin Lee and other pro-democracy leaders is an affront to the rule of law that sends the chilling message that Beijing will stop at nothing in its crackdown on the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong.
"The United States Congress has long been united on a bipartisan and bicameral basis to holding China accountable for its repression and abuses, including targeting Uyghurs, the Tibetan people, human rights activists and vulnerable communities on the mainland, and now, Hong Kong. We must ensure that all oppressed and persecuted by Beijing know that they have not been forgotten.
"The Chinese government must know that the world is watching its strangulation of human rights – and that we must put all options on the table for holding China accountable.
"If we do not speak out clearly for human rights in China because of commercial interests, we lose all moral authority to speak out for human rights any place in the world."
# # #