US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday denounced a Chinese court's jailing of Hong Kong democracy activists who tried to flee by boat, saying it showed Beijing's true face to its citizens and the world.

"A regime that prevents its own people from leaving can lay no claim to greatness or global leadership. It is simply a fragile dictatorship, afraid of its own people," Pompeo said in a statement.

A court in Shenzhen on Wednesday jailed 10 Hong Kong democracy activists to up to three years in prison after they tried to flee to Taiwan, a self-governing democracy claimed by Beijing, by speedboat.

The conviction for illegal border crossing comes as China clamps down on dissent in Hong Kong, imposing a tough security law despite previous promises to guarantee a separate system in the former British colony and financial hub.

Pompeo, a vocal critic of Beijing, called for all 12 people arrested in August in their bid to flee to Taiwan to be "immediately and unconditionally released."

The case "exposes once again Beijing's brutality, blatant disregard for the international treaties it has signed, and its disdain for the rights of the Hong Kong people," Pompeo said.

Pompeo, who leaves office on January 20 following President Donald Trump's election defeat, has cast Beijing as a global adversary and vowed to end decades of US attempts to engage the communist leadership.

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Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai ordered back to jail
Hong Kong (AFP) Dec 31, 2020
Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai was ordered back to jail Thursday as the city's highest court granted prosecutors an appeal against his bail. Lai, a vocal Beijing critic, is one of the highest-profile figures charged under a sweeping security law that China imposed on the financial hub in late June in a bid to stamp out dissent. The 73-year-old served 20 days in custody before being granted bail last Wednesday on stringent conditions including a HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) bon ... read more