
Hong Kong tightens prison rules, allowing visit restrictions on national security grounds
Under the new rules, effective Friday, magistrates can issue warrants on application by correctional service officers to bar exchanges between specific legal representatives and persons in custody if the judges believe such connections could harm national security or cause bodily harm to any person, among other reasons.
The department can also restrict certain visits, including those made by specific chaplains, for purposes such as maintaining national security, preventing crime and facilitating inmate rehabilitation.
Critics worry the changes could undermine inmate rights in a city where many democracy advocates were arrested for their political activism following massive anti-government protests in 2019. The city now has two national security laws that Beijing deemed necessary for stability.
Official data show hundreds of people were sent to correctional services facilities each year between 2020 and 2024 over offenses linked to the protests or for allegedly endangering national security. As of Dec. 31, 2024, nearly 600 people were in custody for such offenses, according to the correctional services department.
In a discussion of the changes with lawmakers this month, Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang said some prison visitors specifically went to see inmates who were jailed for their roles in 'the black violence" — a phrase officials use to describe the 2019 protests — and they continued to stoke anger against the government. Tang said that was 'no good' for safeguarding national security and detrimental to maintaining prison security.
The city's government, without specifying, said a past incident in which an inmate handed over unauthorized articles to his legal adviser to take out of the prison during a visit has raised public concern. Last year, the city's court system convicted jailed activist Owen Chow and his lawyer after the lawyer took Chow's complaint form, concerning correctional service officers, out of prison without prior approval.
Officials maintained that when a magistrate issues a warrant to bar an inmate from consulting with a particular lawyer, the prisoner can still seek advice from another legal representative of their choice and be entitled to the right to confidential legal advice.
Lawmakers will scrutinize the legal changes next week.
Brandon Yau, secretary of the prisoner support group Waiting Bird, said it seemed some authorities believed former demonstrators of the 2019 protests were still planning organized resistance in jail, but that it doesn't match reality.
Yau, whose group supports many people jailed for social movement-related cases, said those who provided humanitarian support to the inmates just wanted to show care for their well-being in prison and concern about whether they could start anew following their release.
'It seems they (authorities) are doing something further to create an atmosphere that they would continue to target and suppress the political prisoners who were convicted for their roles in the social movement,' he said.
While there's no immediate impact on his group's work, Yau said the law has granted powers to restrict inmates' visitor lists, and they would have to see how extensively this power is being exercised.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
43 minutes ago
- The Independent
Two injured in bomb attack on Greek prison guard's home
A bomb explosion targeted the home of Konstantinos Varsamis, president of the Greek association of prison guards, in Thessaloniki early on Saturday morning. Approximately 3 kilograms of explosives detonated at 2:10 a.m. local time outside his apartment building's front door in Sykies. Varsamis was unharmed, though two people sustained minor injuries from shattered glass, and three apartment buildings were damaged. Police are investigating the incident, with the Organized Crime Unit leading efforts and focusing on criminal gangs rather than terror groups. Varsamis works at Diavata prison, which houses many criminal gang members and convicted terrorists, a factor police are considering in their investigation.


The Guardian
43 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Attempt to unseat 24 ‘pro-China' opposition politicians in Taiwan appears to fail
An unprecedented attempt in Taiwan to unseat 24 'pro-China' opposition politicians and give a parliamentary majority to the ruling party appears to have failed, with early results indicating voters in every seat had rejected the notion. Polls opened on Saturday morning for the first 24 of 31 targeted seats, with voters asked to agree or disagree with a proposal to recall the local legislator and hold a byelection. Polls closed at 4pm local time and within a couple of hours the early results emerged. By 7pm the central election commission said all had failed to pass, reported CNA, the government media outlet. Under the recall laws, for a seat to be vacated the number of voters in favour must be at least 25% of the electorate and outnumber the votes against. All 24 seats, as well as seven yet to hold a recall vote, are held by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), which together with a smaller party has controlled the majority of Taiwan's parliament since the election last year, when Lai Ching-te won the presidency for the Democratic Progressive party (DPP), a pro-sovereignty party that has vowed to push back against China's aggression. The opposition allies used their votes to block DPP bills including defence budgets, freeze court appointments, and propose bills that critics said would weaken Taiwan's defences. The obstructions sparked mass protests from which the recall movement was born. The KMT are likely to be emboldened by their resounding victory on Saturday. A flipping of just six KMT seats could free up president Lai Ching-te and the DPP's agenda, but would also likely see increased hostility from China's ruling Communist party, which despises Lai and his party as 'separatists' for opposing its plan to annex Taiwan. There are a total of 113 seats in the legislature. Seven seats are still to vote on their recall motions in coming weeks, but Saturday's losses will put the pressure on the campaigners to get six to vote 'agree'. William Yang, a senior north asia analyst for the International Crisis Group, said the recall campaign had deepened divisions in Taiwan. 'All sides, including all political parties in Taiwan, will need to seriously reflect on the process of this recall campaign and think about how they may be able to find common ground on issues that are key to Taiwan's security and prosperity,' he said. Yang said it also raised questions about the DPP using the threat posed by China in election campaigning, 'at least at a local level'. 'China may view Saturday's result as a sign that more Taiwanese people are not in favour of the 'China threat' rhetoric promoted by [Lai and the DPP], and this may make them feel like peaceful unification remains a viable option for them to resolve the ultimate 'Taiwan question',' Yang said. 'However, this doesn't also mean that Beijing would dial down the level of military and political pressure that they are imposing on Taiwan.' The unprecedented vote has fired up the island's population, just 18 months after a national election. Large rallies were held in Taipei on the eve of the vote, with tens of thousands turning out to support the two sides. The pro-recall campaign was driven by civil society groups and activists, but since endorsed by the DPP. They had aimed to oust as many as 31 KMT legislators who, they say, are pro-China actors who have risked Taiwan's national security. The KMT denies the accusations. They, like the DPP, oppose annexation by the Communist party of China (CCP), but say the best way to protect the status quo is through friendlier ties with Beijing. The party and its supporters have labelled the recall campaign an anti-democratic power-grab by people who won't accept the results of last year's election. Retaliatory campaigns against DPP seats by the KMT all failed, with dozens of officials arrested over allegedly faking signatures. Senior KMT figures, like party chair Eric Chu, have accused Lai of being a 'dictator' who is 'more communist than the communists, more fascist than the fascists' – comments that were rejected by Lai and criticised by European and Israeli diplomats. Beijing has also denounced the recall campaign. The Taiwan affairs office accused Lai of being a dictator and seeking to achieve 'one-party dominance'. Taiwan's mainland affairs council this week said it was 'evident and clear' that the CCP was trying to interfere in Taiwan's democratic process.


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
A strong bomb explosion targets a Greek prison guard's home
A bomb explosion targeted the home of the president of the Greek association of prison guards early Saturday morning in the country's north. The guard, named Konstantinos Varsamis on the association's website, was left unharmed after about 3 kilograms (about 6.6 pounds) of explosives went off at 2:10 a.m. local time, police said. Two people suffered minor injuries from shattered glass. The explosives were placed outside his apartment building's front door in Sykies, a suburb in the northern city of Thessaloniki, where he lives on the first floor, according to authorities. The blast damaged three apartment buildings, shattering their windows and collapsing a shared wall, according to an Associated Press reporter on-site. 'I woke up because of the very loud bang of the explosion," Tzetno Kelo, 52, who lives in an adjacent apartment building, said. 'Shattered glass from a window fell on my bed and I was covered in blood." He was treated at a hospital before being discharged Police said a witness saw a man walking in the densely built street shortly before the explosion. Varsamis has worked for many years at Diavata prison, west of Thessaloniki, known for housing many criminal gang members as well as convicted terrorists. Two police officers said they are focusing their efforts on criminal gangs rather than terror groups. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not supposed to comment on an ongoing investigation. The police have already deposed Varsamis, they said. The police's Organized Crime Unit is leading the investigation.