US to put new visa limits on Hong Kong officials following Article 23
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The US is preparing to impose new visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials responsible for the crackdown on rights and freedoms. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Hong Kong will not receive special consideration under US law. The new restrictions are tied to the US Hong Kong Policy Act and will be implemented within the scope of the US Immigration and Nationality Act. The State Department has not specified when the 2024 report will be released or which officials will be subject to sanctions. In December, the House Select Committee on the Communist Party urged Blinken to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and mainland Chinese officials involved in issuing arrest warrants and bounties on activists and opposition figures. The Hong Kong government has previously arrested opposition figures and issued bounties for their arrest. In May 2020, then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that Hong Kong was no longer autonomous, leading to the imposition of sanctions.
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