Human Rights Group Rejects Article 23 Proposal

A human rights group on Wednesday called the latest calls for Article 23 legislation "alarming", saying national security concerns must not be used to justify the erosion of human rights and the rule of law in the SAR.

Hong Kong Watch said Hong Kong already had strong laws protecting national security, but the local government was under pressure to enact legislation which explicitly proscribed ‘subversion’ and ‘secession’.

"At this sensitive time in Hong Kong's history, it is critical that human rights, the rule of law, and the city's free economy are not compromised in the name of national security," Hong Kong Watch said in a statement.

"Hong Kong needs a robust response to the threat of coronavirus and the beginning of political reforms which will bring about reconciliation, not more divisive and draconian legislation," it added.

The head of Beijing’s liaison office, Luo Huining, has called for national security legislation for Hong Kong to combat radical violence, foreign interference and pro-independence forces.

The former Shanxi Communist Party secretary who replaced Wang Zhimin as liaison office chief in January said external forces had been seriously intervening in Hong Kong affairs in recent years, adding that the anti-government protest movement had dealt a major blow to the rule of law.

He added that the unrest had been orchestrated by pro-independence and radical violent forces and had seriously threatened national security and the bottom line of the One Country, Two Systems principle.

Hong Kong Watch also rejected a statement by the Hong Kong Macau Affairs Office on Monday accusing pan-democratic lawmakers of breaching their Legislative Council oaths, and said "Hong Kong's autonomy underpins the city's success, it is vital that it is respected."