Foreign
AMNESTY International criticised Hong Kong’s national security law one year after it was enacted, in a report that accuses the authorities of arbitrary detention, harassment and censorship.
Fundamental rights were being restricted systematically in Hong Kong and critical voices are being criminalised under the guise of “national security,” Amnesty said in the report released on Wednesday.
The National Security Law was passed by the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Congress on June 30, 2020, and entered into force the following day.
The law was introduced in response to mass pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and was slammed as a tool to silence the opposition and strengthen China’s powers in the territory.
In the course of the past year, the law has brought Hong Kong “close to a police state and created a climate of fear that was felt in all parts of society from politics to culture.
Also education to the media, said Theresa Bergmann, Asia expert for Amnesty’s German arm.
At least 114 arrests have been ordered under the law, she said.
Amnesty called on authorities to drop all charges against people who were exercising their human rights.
The organisation also called on the UN Human Rights Council to schedule an urgent debate on the human rights situation in China and Hong Kong.
Reporters without Borders (RSF) joined the criticism, saying on Wednesday that the national security law had been used to justify multiple abuses in Hong Kong, including the detention of journalists and the shutdown of the newspaper Apple Daily.
Cedric Alviani, RSF East Asia bureau head, called on democracies to put more pressure on the Chinese regime to end its authoritarian policies.
To also ensure the restoration of press freedom, a right enshrined in the constitution of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and in the Basic Law which governs Hong Kong. (dpa/NAN)
– June 30, 2021 @ 14:14 GMT|
Tags: Amnesty criticizes Hong Kong’s national security law one year on
