Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities Condemns Deportation of British MP Wera Hobhouse by China and Hong Kong Authorities

15 April 2025 | GATPM

The Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities (GATPM) unequivocally condemns the politically motivated and deeply shameful deportation of British MP Wera Hobhouse from Hong Kong last week – an alarming act executed under the tightening grip of Beijing’s authoritarian regime.

Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath and a resolute advocate for persecuted communities, was denied entry and deported without explanation. Her personal visit – to meet her newborn grandchild and reunite with her son after more than a year apart – was callously blocked. This was not an issue of immigration policy, but a blatant act of political retribution for her outspoken defence of human rights in Tibet, Hong Kong, and East Turkestan (Xinjiang).

In a social media post, Hobhouse wrote:

“I am the first MP to be refused entry on arrival to Hong Kong since 1997. Authorities gave me no explanation for this cruel and upsetting blow. I hope the Foreign Secretary will recognise that this is an insult to all parliamentarians and seek answers from the Chinese Ambassador.”

Since entering Parliament in 2017, Hobhouse has consistently raised her voice against China’s grave human rights abuses, advocating for Tibetans, Hongkongers, Uyghurs and the people of Taiwan.

GATPM expresses its full solidarity with MP Hobhouse and applauds her unwavering moral courage. Her exclusion is not only a personal injustice – it exemplifies China’s growing use of transnational repression to intimidate, silence, and punish dissenters beyond its borders, including here in the United Kingdom.

In a letter to MP Hobhouse, Tsering Passang, Chair of the Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities, wrote:

“We stand with you and commend your courage and principled stand in consistently speaking out against the grave human rights violations committed by the Chinese government – whether in Tibet, East Turkestan (Xinjiang), Hong Kong, or elsewhere. It is clear that your steadfast advocacy for the oppressed and voiceless has come at a personal cost, as this unwarranted action deprived you of the simple right to visit your son and meet your newborn grandchild.”

The London-based Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) also issued a strong statement:

“We unite in support of Wera Hobhouse MP, after the Hong Kong authorities denied her entry, and with it the ability to see her newborn grandson.

Detained and deported without explanation, Hobhouse’s exclusion appears linked to her criticism of Beijing’s human rights record, and possibly her membership of this network.

This incident, the first of its kind since Beijing’s crackdown in Hong Kong, coincides with UK ministers visiting China and Hong Kong to develop trade and investment links. That the Hong Kong authorities felt able to deny entry to a sitting parliamentarian while simultaneously hosting UK Ministers is an insult to Parliament. That they appear to have done so because of an objection to something a UK MP has said in the legitimate exercise of her duties is a challenge to our core values as a nation.

We urge both the UK government and Mr. Speaker to take a very strong stand in addressing this affront to democratic principles and personal freedoms.”

On 14 April, Calum Miller MP, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, added:

“We’ve still had no answers from Beijing about why a British MP, my colleague Wera, was barred from visiting her newborn grandson in Hong Kong. China wants to take advantage of the UK’s openness while refusing entry to British MPs and placing bounties on the heads of democracy campaigners living in the UK. Ministers must confirm they’re blocking China’s threatening super-embassy at the heart of London once and for all.”

Meanwhile, British Tibetans and other diaspora communities report ongoing harassment and surveillance by operatives affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department (UFWD), often operating under diplomatic cover from the Chinese Embassy in London. Peaceful activists have been threatened with reprisals against family members in occupied Tibet – constituting a gross violation of UK civil liberties and national sovereignty.

Repression in Hong Kong has escalated dramatically since the imposition of the draconian National Security Law in 2020. Journalists have been jailed, opposition voices silenced, and now even democratically elected foreign lawmakers are being barred. This is not about “national security” – it is about silencing dissent and avoiding scrutiny.

In a 2023 address to the Tibetan community in London, Wera Hobhouse MP stated:

“Ever since the Chinese Communist led by Chairman Mao occupied Tibet in the 1950s, the Tibetans have faced incredible hardships. Inside Tibet, it is estimated that roughly 1 million Tibetans died as a result of initial invasion and subsequent destructive policies including the cultural revolution. Tibet’s cultural and religious heritage was also devastated at the time. Even after Mao’s period ended, the Tibetans have suffered intense persecution. The ongoing human rights violations in Tibet are a stain on the whole world.

I speak to you today as an MP and a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Tibet. I want to tell you that we see your ongoing struggles. We have not forgotten the issue of Tibet’s history as an independent nation and we will not forget. We will continue to speak out in support of the human rights of the Tibetan people and for a just solution to the Tibetan political question guided most notably by the ‘Middle-Way’ approach advocated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”

Wera Hobhouse’s exclusion is a direct affront to democratic principles and must not go unanswered. The UK must act – not only in defence of one MP’s rights but in defence of the freedoms and values we hold dear.

In Solidarity,
Tsering Passang
Founder and Chair
Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities (GATPM)