Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The European Union has condemned the Macao authorities for arresting democracy activist and lawmaker Au Kam San from the former Portuguese enclave on suspicion of national security violations.
Anitta Hipper, lead spokesperson for EU foreign affairs and security policy, in a statement on Saturday, said that Au Kam-san, a former pro-democracy lawmaker, was arrested in Macao,
“adding to the existing concerns about the ongoing erosion of political pluralism and freedom of speech”
in the Macao Special Administrative Region.
The EU recalls that the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is a central element of the Macau Basic Law and ‘one country, two systems’.
“It is essential that the protected rights and freedoms of Macau residents remain fully upheld in line with the Macau Basic Law, the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration of 1987 and Macau’s commitments under the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights,”
Why did Macau authorities arrest Au Kam San?
Au was detained at his home on Wednesday. A prominent Macau democrat, he was accused of collaborating with foreign forces in violation of the city’s national security law, making it the first publicly confirmed arrest under the legislation since its enactment in 2009, a Chinese news agency reported.
Macau’s Public Prosecutions Office announced Thursday that Au has been placed under “compulsory detention.” Au is accused of maintaining contact with an overseas anti-China organization since 2022 and supplying the group with “false and seditious” information to provoke hatred against the Chinese government.
Macau authorities also accused Au of attempting to destabilize the city’s chief executive election last year and encouraging hostile activities by foreign nations.
How has Au supported Macau’s pro-democracy movement?
Au, previously one of Macau’s few pro-democracy lawmakers, stepped down in 2021 and chose not to run again after serving on the legislative assembly for twenty years. However, he continued to be vocal. He has helped establish many pro-democracy organizations in Macau, such as the New Democratic Macau Association.
He was also a founding member of the Macau Union of Democratic Development, which is now dissolved. This organization held annual candlelight vigils to remember the June 4 Tiananmen Square crackdown until, reportedly, local authorities banned the event in 2021 due to potential violations of the penal code.
