Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam has been sanctioned by the United States for her role in cracking down on the former freedoms of residents of the city. Exactly what kind of sanctions will be placed on Lam isn’t yet clear, but the measures are reportedly set to be announced as early Friday. On top of targeting Lam, 10 other officials in the Chinese Communist Party were also sanctioned. “All property and interests in property of the individuals named above, and of any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by them, individually, or with other blocked persons, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons, are blocked and must be reported to [the Office of Foreign Assets Control],” a Treasury Department statement reads. Earlier this summer, Beijing imposed a new security law on Hong Kong that outlawed any kind of subversion against the central Chinese government. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called the law “an affront to all nations” and said Washington will end the territory’s special status.
