In an open letter to Carrie Lam, more than 150 officials from 18 countries called for Hong Kong government intervention in the case of a dozen activists turned fugitives being held in China.
"In your role as chief executive, it is incumbent on you to intercede on behalf of these young people to ensure that they are guaranteed justice," the cohort of lawmakers from five continents wrote in a letter published Wednesday.
A small boat carrying the 12 activists, including one 16-year-old, was captured by Chinese maritime police in mid-August during an attempt to flee riot-related court charges in Hong Kong by seeking asylum in Taiwan.
The detainees have not been seen by their families since then, as Hong Kong Watch's Benedict Rogers noted.
"During this period of time, they have not had direct contact with their families, refused access to prescribed medication and to the lawyers chosen by their families," Rogers said in a statement.
Wednesday's letter came on the heels of the decision by Chinese authorities to have the 12 Hong Kongers stand trial. Shenzhen police announced the imminent trial and sentencing of the group Friday, but what they will be charged with remains unclear.
"They will be sent to Yantian District People's Procuratorate for examination and prosecution," the police wrote in a post on their Weibo account.
This is a blow to the family and friends of the detainees who have spent months advocating to hold the group's court hearing in Hong Kong under the common law system as opposed to the mainland's state-controlled judiciary.
"[In China] imprisonment is essentially guaranteed, torture is common and forced confessions are frequently demanded," noted the international petition.
For many of the signatories, this is not their first tangle with Chinese affairs. In January 2020, the same group of 18 countries put pressure on the chief executive to set up a probe into use of force by the police at protests.
"We appeal to you to use your authority and exercise your responsibility to seek genuine ways forward out of this crisis by addressing the grievances of Hong Kong people...ensuring accountability and an end to impunity for serious violations of human rights," they wrote at the time.
