Hong Kong national security law ‘casts doubt on the state of the rule of law’, EU warns

Name: Hong Kong national security law: HK$1 million bounties for arrests of political fugitives overseas
Uploaded: 2023-08-18T14:15:01.000Z
Duration: 3 min 2 s
Description: Hong Kong national security law: HK$1 million bounties for arrests of political fugitives overseas

The bloc’s annual report criticised the ‘continuing erosion’ of rights and freedoms, pointing to an ‘intensification’ of trials under the law

The EU also criticised the targeting of academics and lawyers, as well as an increasingly harsh media environment

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The EU report highlighted the impact the National Security law was having on the city. Photo: Sun Yeung

Finbarr Berminghamin Brussels

Published: 10:15pm, 18 Aug 2023Updated: 2:40am, 19 Aug 2023

The European Union has criticised the “continuing erosion of Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and of rights and freedoms that were meant to be protected until at least 2047”, in an annual report released on Friday.

The report for 2022 described at length the “far-reaching implementation of the national security law”, which it said had encroached on academic and media freedom, rights of assembly and association, and “cast doubt on the state of the rule of law in Hong Kong – a cornerstone of its economic success”.

It summarised the major events in Hong Kong last year, including the unchallenged appointment of John Lee Ka-chiu as chief executive in the “patriots-only” election, the 25th anniversary of the handover from Britain, the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the Covid-19 restrictions which saw “around 10 per cent of EU nationals” abandon the city.

But it was dominated by the roll-out of the security law, imposed by Beijing in July 2020, which has led to hundreds of arrests, the annihilation of political opposition, and a crackdown on many forms of expression and dissent.

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Hong Kong national security law: HK$1 million bounties for arrests of political fugitives overseas

The Hong Kong government issued a lengthy response late on Friday, urging the EU to “recognise the facts and abide by international law” and to “immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs, which are purely China’s internal affairs”.