SW News: The US Senators Kevin Cramer, Angus King, Jim Risch and Alex Padilla introduced a resolution condemning the arrest of Cardinal Joseph Zen, the 90-year-old archbishop emeritus of Hong Kong. “The story of Cardinal Zen is only one of many such instances of religious persecution and infringement on democratic freedom in China and around the world,” they said in the resolution.

“Hong Kong is devolving into an increasingly repressive society where no one resisting government tyranny is safe, including religious leaders and communities,” the senators pointed out. The cardinal and four others were accused of failing to register their 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which was established in 2019 to provide monetary help to those who were prosecuted for taking part in the anti-government protests that rocked the city. The fund was closed down in 2021 after it came under the scanner of the Beijing-backed Hong Kong authorities. The cardinal was arrested in May, 2022.

The senators introduced the resolution following the trial of Cardinal Zen at a court in Hong Kong. It was later adjourned till October 26.

In the resolution, the senators urged “the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to cease targeting Hong Kong’s civil society actors and to immediately release and drop all charges against all political prisoners who have been unjustly detained and charged.”

Cardinal Zen has been an outspoken critic of the Beijing government for decades and has always been a champion of human rights in Hong Kong.