UN ‘alarmed’ at arrests in Hong Kong under new law
HONG KONG/ GENEVA: The UN human rights office voiced concern on Friday that “vague and overly broad” provisions in Hong Kong’s new national security law may lead to activists being prosecuted in violation of fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression.
The security legislation imposed by China this week on Hong Kong will punish crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, heralding a more authoritarian era for the city. “We are alarmed that arrests are already being made under the law with immediate effect, when there is not full information and understanding of the scope of the offences,” UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said.
Hundreds were arrested at a protest on Wednesday, the first day since the new law came into effect, and at least 10 have been charged under it, he told a Geneva news briefing.
In a post late on Thursday, prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law said that he has decided to advocate for Hong Kong from abroad and had left the city.
“As a global-facing activist, the choices I have are stark: to stay silent from now on, or to keep engaging in private diplomacy so I can warn the world of the threat of Chinese authoritarian expansion,” he said. “I made the decision when I agreed to testify before the US Congress.” Law told reporters in a WhatsApp message that he would not reveal his whereabouts and situation based on a “risk assessment”.
In what is sure to be seen as another ominous sign for Hong Kong’s freedoms, China’s official Xinhua news agency said Zheng Yanxiong, a Communist Party cadre who became prominent during a 2011 clampdown on protesters in a south China village, will head a national security office in Hong Kong to be set up under the new law.
Under the new legislation, the agency can take enforcement action beyond existing local laws in the most serious cases.