155 MPs write to Carrie Lam, asking her to advocate for better rights for the 'Hong Kong 12'

An international coalition of more than 150 parliamentarians has urged Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, to guarantee a fair legal process for 12 young people who were detained in China in August after allegedly trying to flee the former British colony to reach Taiwan by sea.

The open letter issued on Tuesday by 155 politicians from the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Japan, Myanmar and multiple European nations adds weight to a global campaign that has sprung up since the so-called “Hong Kong 12” were intercepted by the Chinese coastguard and jailed in the mainland city of Shenzhen. They were facing accusations of illegally crossing the border between Hong Kong and China.

The group had tried to escape Hong Kong by speedboat, fearing political persecution amid an ongoing crackdown on pro-democracy activists and the introduction in June of a draconian national security law.

The law punishes broadly defined crimes such as “secession” with up to life in prison. Beijing imposed the law to curb year-long anti-government protests.

Hong Kong's Security Bureau has said all 12 were suspected of committing crimes including manufacturing or possessing explosives, arson and rioting in Hong Kong. The group consists of unnamed individuals aged 16 to 33.

Signatories to the letter, who include Tom Tugendhat, the Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, and fellow MPs Iain Duncan Smith, Damian Green, Hilary Benn and John McDonnell, have appealed to Ms Lam to intervene to bring the group back to Hong Kong to face trial in local courts.

Further requests include ensuring the right of the activists to nominate their own legal representatives, have contact with their families and be allowed access to prescribed medication.

Human rights groups and lawyers fear the 12 are at risk of torture and injustice if they disappear into China’s notoriously opaque justice system.

“This is a watershed case for Hong Kong, which will influence whether the extradition of pro-democracy activists to stand trial in the mainland becomes a common occurrence,” said Benedict Rogers, chief executive of Hong Kong Watch, the London-based advocacy group that organised the letter.

Families of the activists have issued their own emotional appeals for their safe return.

In a joint statement last week they revealed they had heard for the first time from their loved ones in formulaic letters claiming they were being well treated.

"It is doubtful that they wrote the letter out of their own free will," it said.