Hong Kong must abolish security law

It is considered incompatible with the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights. The former British colony is a signatory to the document, unlike the Chinese central government. Criticism for the repression of freedom of expression. The investigation of police action during the pro-democracy protests in 2019 is invoked.

Hong Kong () – The United Nations Human Rights Commission yesterday urged the city authorities to repeal the national security law imposed by Beijing. The measure is considered incompatible with the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, to which the former British colony is a signatory, unlike the Chinese central government.

According to UN experts, the security law contains measures that are too general that allow a wide range of situations to be framed as possible crimes. This leads to continued violations of freedom of expression, which should instead be guaranteed to Hong Kong citizens under international law and Sino-British agreements.

The central Chinese authorities imposed the security measure in June 2020. The official line is that the legislation has served to return “stability and peace” to the city, shaken by repeated demonstrations by the pro-democracy movement that began in the summer of 2019. For critics, it is a tool to silence the democratic field and in fact limit the autonomy of the city.

In their meetings with Hong Kong representatives, members of the UN Human Rights Commission also expressed concern about the crackdown on press freedom. They also criticized the reduction in the presence of democrats in the city parliament (Legco) as a result of an electoral reform that, according to Beijing, should only allow the election of “patriotic” candidates. Translation: aligned with the Chinese Communist Party.

The UN Commission has presented other recommendations to the Hong Kong executive that should be adopted before July 28, 2025. Among them, the need to open an investigation into the actions of the police during the 2019 protests and present a clear timetable to reach universal suffrage.

The city executive headed by John Lee responded in the same terms to the UN Commission, speaking of “unfair criticism”. According to local authorities, the UN experts did not take into account in their assessment the particular circumstances in which Hong Kong finds itself, and the fact that the security law must be seen in the context of “violent social unrest” in Hong Kong. 2019

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