National security law: human rights NGOs dreading impact of legislation in Hong Kong slammed for fearmongering

Name: Taiwan announces humanitarian aid plan for people fleeing Hong Kong
Uploaded: 2020-06-21T13:00:14.000Z
Duration: 2 min 6 s
Description: Taiwan announces humanitarian aid plan for people fleeing Hong Kong

Foreign groups worry they will be scrutinised, targeted over activities, operations, funding

NGOs’ fears unjustified when details of new law are not yet known, say pro-establishment lawmakers

Reading Time:5 minutes

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A group of 86 NGOs and civil society organisations, including several overseas groups, issued a letter last week urging Beijing to abandon plans to promulgate a national security law for Hong Kong, as fears build they may not be able to operate as normal moving forward. Photo: EPA-EFE

Laura Westbrook

Published: 9:00pm, 21 Jun 2020Updated: 11:39pm, 21 Jun 2020

International human rights groups are worried their days of operating freely in Hong Kong are numbered, now that Beijing is drawing up a national security law for the city.

Some fear their activities and funding will be scrutinised and targeted by mainland authorities to such an extent they might have to leave the city.

But Hong Kong officials and pro-establishment lawmakers have dismissed these worries as unjustified fearmongering.

The law aims to outlaw secession, subversion of state power and terrorism as well as “collusion with foreign and external forces” to threaten national security, which Beijing added last week to the list of crimes.

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Taiwan announces humanitarian aid plan for people fleeing Hong Kong

On Saturday, state news agency Xinhua released details of the law, which included establishing a local national security commission, headed by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and supervised by Beijing, to oversee the legislation.

Hong Kong would be required to carry out most of the enforcement under the new law, but Beijing will be able to overrule local authorities in some cases. Lam will also have the power to appoint specific judges to hear national security cases. The Xinhua statement also said human rights and freedom of speech and assembly would be protected.