Carrie Lam, chief executive of Hong Kong, announced late on Saturday that she was giving up an honorary degree from the University of Cambridge in England, after British activists and politicians criticized the new national security law in City.

Lam, a former British citizen and one-time government employee, was awarded an honorary fellowship in 2017 by Wolfson College, a core college of the university, after being chosen as Hong Kong´s CEO by a small group of voters.

Lam said in a Facebook post that the college felt that the new law "deviated from principles of academic freedom and freedom of expression, as it punishes teachers who criticize the government and forbids students from singing and chanting slogans."

Lam said she was extremely "disappointed" with the college´s stance and said their allegations were unfounded.

It is noteworthy that Lam was added last week to the US Treasury Department´s sanctions list, claiming to "undermine" Hong Kong´s independence from China and "infringe" on the rights of the people of Hong Kong.

Lam renounced her British citizenship in 2007 to serve in the Hong Kong government.