Arrests: Police action called ‘totally lawful’
Following the arrest, some Western countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, called for the release of the five.
The spokesperson for the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said such demands are “a malicious obstruction of the Hong Kong SAR’s law enforcement authorities’ performance of duty” and an assault on Hong Kong’s rule of law and judicial independence, an insult to the spirit of the rule of law, and flagrant interference in Hong Kong affairs, which are China’s internal affairs.
The spokesperson said external forces are in no position to make groundless accusations, as they have “frequently restricted lawful journalistic activities on national security grounds, clamped down on voices for justice, churned out fake news and vilified other countries”.
Facts have proved time and again that the freedom they advocate is the freedom to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, and freedom to collude with anti-China troublemakers messing up Hong Kong in order to sabotage Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability, the spokesperson said.
Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, shared similar sentiments.
“No one is above the law. No one is above national security laws. This applies to the press and is part of the definition of press freedom. Anyone who has any doubt about this universal principle could test it against the US or British authorities,” Leung said in one of his social media posts.
With the great freedom enjoyed by Hong Kong people comes the great responsibility to protect national sovereignty and development interests, he said.
Solicitor Raymond Li Kin-ho agreed. He said that the freedom of press is a qualified right that is accompanied by the duty and responsibility to respect public order and not to endanger national security.
Barrister Lawrence Ma Yankwok said the police’s action has a legal basis and is totally lawful. Any rights and freedom conferred by the Basic Law are not absolute and should conform to the law, he said.
Noting that the rule of law is the core value of the city, Maggie Chan Man-ki, founding president of the Small and Medium Law Firms Association of Hong Kong, said that all institutions and individuals in Hong Kong have the legal responsibility to safeguard national security and act in accordance with the law, which is crucial to the long-term prosperity and stability of the city.