Lam gives up honorary fellowship at UK college

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has resigned from an honorary fellowship at a college at Britain’s Cambridge University after it questioned her “commitment to the protection of human rights and freedom of expression.”

Lam said the accusations made by Wolfson College were “groundless” and she was “deeply disappointed by the college smearing a person on the basis of hearsay instead of facts.”

“I cannot persuade myself to continue having any connection with Wolfson College and therefore decided to give back the honorary fellowship,” Lam said in a statement on Facebook on Saturday alongside a photo of herself in leafy Cambridge.

According to Lam, her decision was made after the college received unwarranted accusations from British politicians, media and organizations that pressured the college to revoke her fellowship following the enactment of a national security law in Hong Kong.

Wolfson College said in July it was concerned by events in Hong Kong and said it would consider Lam’s position as an honorary fellow, a role awarded to individuals to honor outstanding contribution in a specific field. It said on Sunday: “In response, Mrs Lam has resigned from her Honorary Fellowship.”

Lam was bestowed the fellowship in 2017 after she was elected the chief executive of Hong Kong.

Wolfson College had been under pressure to rescind Lam’s honorary fellowship since last year. In November three members of Britain’s House of Lords called for the move over Lam’s response to months of often violent protests.

In her Facebook statement, Lam, who previously studied at Cambridge University, said she had written to Wolfson College last year and last week to explain her administration’s stance on the protests.