Exclusive | Hong Kong’s John Lee rebuts ‘badmouthing’ of national security law, stresses criminal intent key when determining guilt
- Chief executive says committing acts of secession, subversion and terrorism covered by Beijing-imposed legislation all require criminal intent
- Presence of 10 foreign judges on Hong Kong’s bench also evidence of city’s judicial independence, he adds
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Hong Kong leader John Lee addresses concerns over city's Beijing-imposed national security law
Lee’s wide-ranging interview with the Post to mark his first work anniversary took place two years almost to the day of the imposition of the security law by Beijing to punish secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign organisations.
“[Critics] caused a lot of badmouthing about the national security law. But they don’t realise that … you cannot, in any way unwittingly, be contrary to those offences,” he said.
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One year with Hong Kong leader John Lee: Is he on the right track? | Talking Post with Yonden Lhatoo
Lee embarked on a rare explanation of the law’s scope and threshold when answering a question on how critics were not convinced that the city had not changed in the past few years and whether it was still abiding by the governing principle of “one country, two systems” with rights and freedoms protected.
Rejecting the suggestion, Lee pointed to Hong Kong’s Basic Law as affording those protections and then delved into the national security law – the source of international criticism led mostly by Western powers – while steering clear of identifying specific critics.