The United States made their first comment on the 12 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists who have been detained in China for three weeks now. The detainees were caught by Chinese maritime police when they were sailing to Taiwan for political asylum on Aug. 23.

In a statement released on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed deep concerns that the 12 Hong Kong democracy activists have been denied access to lawyers of their choice.

Pompeo also called out on the city’s leader Carrie Lam. “Local authorities have yet to provide information regarding their welfare, or the charges against them. We question Chief Executive Lam’s stated commitment to protecting the rights of Hong Kong residents, and call on authorities to ensure due process,”

In response, the Commissioner of Chinese Foreign Ministry Office in Hong Kong (the Office) voiced dissatisfaction over U.S. politicians' interference and urged them to stop interfering in China’s domestic affairs. The Office stressed that China is a state of law, adding the case is being handled strictly according to the “one country, two systems” model.

The 12 were caught by Guangdong marine police and have been held at Yantian District Detention Centre in Shenzhen for three weeks. Even though all the detainees have hired Chinese lawyers to represent them, lawyers for at least four activists were denied access to their clients. Some of the requests to meet their clients were met with ambiguous responses, including being told that their clients have assigned or hired lawyers appointed by the Chinese government.

“Some U.S. politicians turn a blind eye to their domestic issues such as racial conflicts and the pandemic, but show excessive concern about other countries' affairs,” said the spokesperson of The Office.

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