Territory’s authorities tells international locations to cease ‘interfering’ in its inside affairs after damning assessments on freedoms.
Hong Kong has responded with fury over what it described as “unfounded and ridiculous allegations” in key reviews from the UK and america that mentioned the territory’s democratic rights and freedoms had been persevering with to deteriorate.
In a six-monthly replace launched on Thursday, the UK, which dominated Hong Kong as a colony earlier than its return to China in 1997, mentioned that “various voices in Hong Kong’s government, legislature, civil society and media ha(d) been all however extinguished”.
The US reached the same conclusion in its report protecting the 12 months from March 2021: “(Chinese language) authorities took actions that eradicated the power of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition to play a significant position within the metropolis’s governance and successfully criminalized peaceable political expression essential of the central and native governments,” it mentioned.
The Hong Kong authorities shortly rejected the assessments.
“We strongly oppose the unfounded and ridiculous allegations in opposition to the HKSAR (Hong Kong Particular Administrative Area) Authorities made by overseas international locations by way of numerous reviews,” it mentioned in a press release, including that Hong Kong continued to take pleasure in “a excessive diploma of autonomy” underneath the “one nation, two methods” that was adopted on its return to Chinese language rule.
“The HKSAR Authorities urges overseas international locations to cease interfering into the inner affairs of China by way of Hong Kong affairs,” it mentioned.
The newest reviews from the UK and US come after two British Supreme Courtroom judges resigned from the territory’s highest court docket, citing the results of the Nationwide Safety Legislation that China imposed practically two years in the past.
Chief Government Carrie Lam on Thursday dismissed their exit as “politically motivated“.
‘As vibrant as ever’
The UK report highlighted the closure of impartial and pro-democracy media retailers, together with Stand Information, which was pressured to shut in December after a police raid and the arrests of its present and former editors.
The vastly well-liked Apple Every day additionally stopped publication in June after its belongings had been frozen and workplaces raided. Its founder, tycoon Jimmy Lai, is without doubt one of the highest profile folks to be arrested underneath the Nationwide Safety Legislation and stays in jail, having been denied bail.
The report additionally famous the focusing on of British NGO Hong Kong Watch, which it described as an “egregious and unacceptable instance of how the authorities seem like attempting to make use of the regulation to censor even these exterior of Hong Kong’s borders”.
Each reviews additionally famous the adjustments to Hong Kong elections to make sure solely “patriots” can stand for workplace, with fewer seats within the legislative council chosen by well-liked vote and lots of pro-democracy politicians jailed or disqualified. Turnout within the December ballot was the bottom of any election because the handover.
Additionally they famous the crackdown on any sort of commemoration of Tiananmen Sq. with the ban on an annual vigil to recollect these killed in 1989, the closure of a museum on the incident and the removing of statues marking the incident.
“Because the twenty fifth anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to Beijing approaches, Hong Kong’s freedoms are diminishing whereas the PRC (Folks’s Republic of China) tightens its rule,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned in a press release accompanying the most recent Hong Kong Coverage Act Report. “The variations between Hong Kong and cities in mainland China are shrinking on account of ongoing repression from the PRC.”
China imposed the safety regulation in June 2020 after big pro-democracy protests, a few of which turned violent, swept the town in 2019. The sweeping regulation criminalises acts Beijing deems secession, subversion, terrorism or collusion with overseas powers.
On Friday, Hong Kong mentioned the regulation had “restored stability” and that the federal government retained an “unwavering dedication” to the rule of regulation and judicial independence.
It insisted that the safety regulation didn't impede the freedoms of Hong Kong, which China had promised to honour for not less than 50 years.
“Legislation-abiding folks won't unwittingly violate the regulation,” the federal government mentioned.
It additionally insisted that Hong Kong’s media panorama remained “as vibrant as ever” with some 211 organisations registered with the federal government.
“The media can train their proper to watch the HKSAR Authorities’s work, and their freedom of commenting on and even criticising authorities insurance policies stays uninhibited so long as this isn't in violation of the regulation,” the federal government mentioned.
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