‘Despicable': Beijing's office slams 2024 US report on ‘significant human rights issues' in Hong Kong
The US State Department's 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, published on Tuesday, contained 'fabricated false claims' about the human rights and rule-of-law situation in Hong Kong, the Commissioner's Office of China's Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong said in a statement on Wednesday evening.
The US report highlighted the passage of the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance – better known as Article 23 – in March 2024. The US Department of State said it had broadened the scope and definition of sedition offences and granted Hong Kong authorities 'much wider scope to detain and arrest individuals for political purposes.'
The report also cited 'arbitrary arrest and detention' and 'transnational repression against individuals outside of Hong Kong.' It found 'serious restrictions' on free speech, pointing to the first round of Article 23 arrests, which involved jailed Tiananmen crackdown activist Chow Hang-tung and those who managed her social media pages.
It added that the operating space for independent media 'shrank further' last year, citing visa denials faced by foreign journalists in recent years, as well as the first sedition case ruling involving the media, when a Hong Kong court convicted and jailed former editors of the defunct Stand News in August.
In response, the Chinese foreign ministry office in Hong Kong said the crackdown on activities endangering national security was a 'legitimate measure' and trials in the city were 'impartial.'
The US was 'rehashing' cases involving 'anti-China, destabilising forces in Hong Kong' and openly supporting them, the spokesperson said. They urged the US to stop interfering in Hong Kong's affairs and to respect China's sovereignty and the city's rule of law.
'This fully exposes the US's politicisation and instrumentalisation of human rights issues, as well as its sinister attempt to use Hong Kong to contain China's development — an act that is despicable,' the Commissioner's Office statement read.
Separate from the 2020 Beijing-enacted security law, the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-charge detention of up to 16 days, and suspects' access to lawyers may be restricted, with penalties involving up to life in prison. Article 23 was shelved in 2003 amid mass protests, remaining taboo for years. But, on March 23, 2024, it was enacted having been fast-tracked and unanimously approved at the city's opposition-free legislature.
The law has been criticised by rights NGOs, Western states and the UN as vague, broad and 'regressive.' Authorities, however, cited perceived foreign interference and a constitutional duty to 'close loopholes' after the 2019 protests and unrest.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
HKFP
2 hours ago
- HKFP
Hong Kong man arrested for alleged fraud over online ride-hailing services
A Hong Kong man has been arrested on suspicion of fraud after allegedly providing his personal information to a syndicate to create ride-hailing platform accounts for use by multiple drivers. Police arrested the 53-year-old man on Wednesday night on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, in connection with suspected illegal work involving the Chinese navigation and ride-hailing app Amap. Apart from providing his information to the syndicate, the suspect also used accounts provided by the group to accept ride-hailing orders, although the accounts did not belong to him. At a press conference on Thursday, Superintendent Li Muk-yik said the arrest was linked to a police report filed by a passenger who took a ride in Tsuen Wan that he had booked online and found that the driver was 'unusually unfamiliar' with the route. The driver spoke only Mandarin and admitted that he did not hold a Hong Kong identity card. The case details matched a post on Threads earlier this week, in which a user said he had requested a ride via Alipay, which connected him to ride-hailing services on Amap. After boarding the car, the passenger realised the driver was a mainland Chinese man who spoke only Mandarin and could not understand Cantonese. Police investigations found that the case involved a fraud syndicate, Li said. To become a driver on the platform, one must register an account with individual service providers linked to Amap. The syndicate allegedly created accounts using the personal information of various people, then arranged for others to use those accounts to accept orders. It is unclear whether the drivers were qualified to operate vehicles in Hong Kong, police said, adding that the syndicate profited by taking commissions. Li said police are currently pursuing three more suspects, including one of the syndicate's core members, who allegedly recruited people to provide their personal data for account registration, arranged vehicles, and hired drivers. The remaining two wanted individuals are a driver involved in the case and the owner of a registered car. Conspiracy to defraud is punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Ride-hailing apps currently operate in a grey area in Hong Kong, which requires vehicles offering such services to have a hire car permit. Private vehicle owners who sign up with online platforms without a permit face a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a HK$10,000 fine for a first offence. There has been no major law enforcement operation targeting ride-hailing drivers, although some have been arrested. Meanwhile, ride-hailing services – especially Uber – have grown in popularity amid long-standing dissatisfaction with taxi services. Earlier this month, a mainland Chinese man was jailed for two months for offering ride-hailing services via Amap and breaching his conditions of stay as a travel permit holder. Last month, the government submitted a legislative proposal to regulate ride-hailing services. The authorities suggested capping the number of ride-hailing cars allowed in the city, but the proposal did not specify a limit.
RTHK
3 hours ago
- RTHK
China offers help in Thai-Cambodian row
China offers help in Thai-Cambodian row Wang Yi, right, meets his Thai counterpart Maris Sangiampongsa. Photo: Foreign Ministry website Wang Yi, right, meets his Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhonn. Photo: Foreign Ministry website China has expressed support for Thailand and Cambodia in resolving their border dispute and offered to provide assistance based on the wishes of both nations, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. Wang said China supports the Southeast Asian countries in strengthening dialogue and eliminating misunderstandings, adding he hopes they would rebuild mutual trust and restore friendship. He met his Thai and Cambodian counterparts separately and also convened a three-way conversation on the sidelines of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Yunnan province. Wang said China hopes the two countries could reopen border crossings as soon as possible, a Foreign Ministry statement said. China also promised support and assistance for landmine clearance in the border areas of Cambodia and Thailand, and the three ministers agreed to continue communication in a "flexible manner". Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa thanked China for its mediating role and called for greater cooperation with Cambodia on removing landmines from the border area, his ministry said in a statement on social media platform X. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said his country is fully committed to the peace efforts. Thailand and Cambodia have wrangled for decades over border territory and a border conflict erupted last month after the killing of a Cambodian soldier in a skirmish late in May. It was the worst fighting in more than a decade and only eased after a ceasefire was struck in late July. (Agencies)
RTHK
8 hours ago
- RTHK
War declaration on display at Shenyang memorial
War declaration on display at Shenyang memorial A sculpture of soldiers marks the entrance to the museum's halls in Shenyang. Photo: RTHK The deputy head of a war museum in Shenyang said a declaration in 1931 against Japan's invasion demonstrated Chinese people's determination in fighting the war. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The declaration was made a day after the September 18 Incident in 1931 marking the start of Japan's invasion of China. "The September 19 declaration was the first declaration of war against Japan issued by the Communist Party of China," Zhang Lu, deputy director of the Memorial Hall of the Former Site of the CPC's Manchuria Provincial Committee, told Hong Kong reporters touring Shenyang. "It announced our political stance of resolute resistance against Japan and declared the Chinese people's strong determination to fight the Japanese invaders to the end." Zhang said the committee organised anti-Japanese armed forces in northeast China in support of nationwide resistance. In addition to the declaration, clothing, supplies and historical photographs of the troops are among the items on display. The memorial hall also features simulated guerrilla warfare.
