#HongKong’s new national security law is a chilling clampdown on human rights, on fair trial rights, on the independence of the judiciary & on NGOs & international organisations working with HongKong’s people. Imposing control through fear, ambiguities & trials in mainland China.
Here is the English translation of the national security law published by Xinhua. It uses the language of #humanrights and the #ICCPR, which is then dramatically undermined by the substance & extraordinarily broad definitions, where they appear. Chilling.
xinhuanet.com/english/2020-0…
xinhuanet.com/english/2020-0…
The first day’s portents are not good.
The first arrest under the new law has already taken place for *carrying* a HK independence flag in his bag. The new law was published very late last night.
That palpable sense of fear is also caused by the fact that a major piece of criminal law now exists, carrying maximum life sentences, which is so vague and open to interpretation that people have confidence in how it will apply.
China often responds by saying this is not the business of those outside China.
But the actual text of Article 38 of the national security law makes it global business of very immediate concern, catching citizens potentially of any country in its open-to-interpretation net.
But the actual text of Article 38 of the national security law makes it global business of very immediate concern, catching citizens potentially of any country in its open-to-interpretation net.
