Reuters The charging of 47 democracy activists and opposition politicians with "subversion" in Hong Kong under a draconian national security law imposed on the city by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sparked an international outcry on Monday, amid calls for their immediate release. "The decision to charge 47 Hong Kong politicians & activists for subversion under the [law] is deeply disturbing," U.K. foreign secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement on Monday. "It shows in the starkest terms the [law is] being used to eliminate political dissent rather than restore order, contrary to what the Chinese Government promised," Raab said. Washington was also quick to condemn the move, which has left almost all of the city's prominent pro-democracy figures and social activists either behind bars or in exile.