UN Human Rights Committee grills Hong Kong officials over use, ‘dramatic scope’ of national security law
- Committee members take issue with how national security law allows mainland Chinese authorities to carry out law enforcement in Hong Kong
- Members also voice concern about prosecutions under sedition law and whether that would comply with Hong Kong’s international duty to respect human rights
The United Nations Human Rights Committee on Thursday grilled Hong Kong officials over their use of the national security law, taking issue with the Beijing-imposed legislation’s “dramatic scope” to allow mainland Chinese authorities to carry out law enforcement in the city.
Committee members also showed concern over the use of the colonial-era sedition law in the city, asking how prosecutions of individuals chanting slogans and criticising the government’s coronavirus pandemic strategies would be regarded as complying with Hong Kong’s international duties to respect human rights.
The Geneva-based committee fired questions at a Hong Kong delegation during a session tasked with reviewing the city’s implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The body oversees places which are signatories of the treaty, including Hong Kong under its mini-constitution, the Basic Law.
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It is the fourth review, with the previous three in 1999, 2005 and 2011, but the first since the city’s anti-government protests in 2019, during which local authorities came under fire for their handling of the unrest.