YouTube shuts down channel of future Hong Kong leader, citing sanctions
Google’s termination would impede Lee’s team from disseminating campaign materials and broadcast his meetings with industry representatives, business executives and politicians, who are predominantly pro-Beijing members belonging to an election committee that picks the chief executive.
The U.S. sanctions date from August 2020 and relate to the role of Lee and others in suppressing the pro-democracy protests in the city.
The move will not likely affect Lee’s chances as he is the only candidate approved by China to run for the office on May 8.
As former top security officer, he oversaw the crackdown against pro-democracy protesters in 2019, and helped roll out the new national security law a year later. Last June, Beijing appointed Lee as chief secretary, Hong Kong’s second-highest political position, becoming the first police officer to assume the role.
Lee called the sanctions “unreasonable,” a “bullying act” and a means to “exert pressure to make him have hesitations” regarding the upcoming election.
“Any country’s official should strive for the best to defend their country’s national security,” he said. “Their unreasonable act will just strengthen my belief that what I am doing is right.”
While Lee said he is disappointed for not being able to access some social media platforms, he stressed that he had other channels to explain his policy vision to citizens. As of Wednesday, Lee’s Facebook and Instagram campaign accounts were still operational.
Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and a key member of Lee’s campaign team, said Lee’s team received a notification from Google Wednesday morning, informing them about a violation of the sanctions policy.
Tam said it was regrettable but would not affect Lee’s campaign.
In August 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Lee, then Hong Kong’s top security officer, along with Chief Executive Carrie Lam and nine other Hong Kong and mainland officials for “restricting the freedom of expression or assembly of the citizens of Hong Kong.”
The sanctions blocked all U.S.-based assets belong to those individuals and prohibited businesses from providing services to them.
The chief executive will be selected in May by a handpicked panel of about 1,500 members of the political and business elite known as the election committee.