The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch released its 2021 World Human Rights Report, in which it described Hong Kong’s freedom as being shattered in 2020, and the organization’s executive director described Hong Kong’s national security law as effectively a “communist security law, it’s outrageous, it’s sad.
The China chapter of the report begins with Hong Kong, including the continued arrests of Hong Kong people for participating in peaceful demonstrations throughout 2020, the 12 people forced to flee in custody without access to lawyers, the fact that none of the police officers who used excessive force in 2019 have yet been brought to justice, and the continued deterioration of press freedom.
The report describes the Communist Party’s bypassing of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council to enact a “Hong Kong version of the National Security Law” and the establishment of several special secret security agencies to deny Hong Kong people the right to a fair trial, and the granting of sweeping powers to the police to restrict the development of civil society and the media and weaken judicial oversight as the most severe attack on Hong Kong people’s freedom since 1997.
Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, described the “Hong Kong National Security Law” as a de facto “Communist Party Security Law” that has silenced democracy-seeking Hong Kong people and legislators, while many of those who have spoken out for democracy have been imprisoned or forced to flee the country.
The report also said that the Hong Kong police continued to arrest pro-democracy figures throughout 2020, including Apple Daily founder Lai Chi-ying and former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan. The report said that after the implementation of the “Hong Kong National Security Law,” the authorities used the law against pro-democracy activists, including a search of the Apple Daily building and the arrest of many people. The authorities also deemed it illegal for the general public to call for “Hong Kong’s recovery, the revolution of the times” during demonstrations, and the Education Bureau banned the singing of “May the Glory Return to Hong Kong” in schools. In addition to the pro-democracy leaders, the report is also concerned about the Hong Kong people who participated in the protests, including the 12 Hong Kong people who were forced to flee to Taiwan and were intercepted by the Chinese Marine Police, who, according to the report, have not been able to meet with their lawyers while they were detained in the mainland.
Police powers have been expanded, but none of their actions have been sanctioned by law. The report mentions that the Hong Kong police used excessive force during the 2019 protests, yet their actions were not sanctioned by law and in some cases prevented civil society from being held accountable, including the arrest of Democratic Party district councillor Cheng Lai-king in March last year on the grounds that the identity of the police officer who shot a blind journalist was made public online. The report also said that press freedom in Hong Kong has continued to deteriorate, including last May when police forced journalists to kneel and sprayed them with pepper spray, when the RTHK program “Headline News” was forced to stop broadcasting due to political pressure, and when foreign media reporters were denied visas.
She said Hong Kong’s civil society is in serious regression, and many of the behaviors that used to be seen everywhere in Hong Kong are now unthinkable, and Hong Kong people are even afraid to discuss politics on the streets for fear of violating national security laws.
Recent Comments