HONG KONG/SHANGHAI: Hong Kong is preparing security laws that make it possible to completely disregard human rights. Even though most of the Hong Kong citizens are against these laws, it is strongly suggested that in July in the SAR (Hong Kong) one may be given a sentence for “subversion” against China.
Human rights associations, those with financial influence and the governments of several countries have all expressed their concerns over the establishment of these laws that threaten to stamp out freedom.
“The law proposal is not in line with international human rights principles. It would turn Hong Kong into a police state”, human rights expert Frances D’Souza said in a meeting of the Journalist Alliance in Hong Kong at the beginning of December.
According to her, the Anti-subversion law would make possible for one to commit treason without even being aware of it.
Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, Article 23, binds the regime to enact laws against treason, subversion and secession.
Until now, only a vague outline of the law has been published, in which the sentence for a crime against the government will be increased to a lifelong prison sentence and police will have more far-reaching rights for investigations. The public has not been allowed to see the bill, even though groups such as the European Parliament have called for it.
The proposition will proceed to the procession of the legislation body in February. The laws are meant to put in use in July.
The Security laws have been in the headlines since September, when the authorities gave citizens a three-month consultation period. In the Christmas period, 60 000 people who are against the Article 23 proposal held a demonstration […]. These demonstrations were the largest since Hong Kong was handed back to China.
[…] According to international human rights associations, the already existing laws are adequate.
With the help of these laws, Mainland China will have tighter control over Hong Kong and will be able to strike against dissidents. The U.S Human Rights in China Association reminded people that the use of security laws is a common way to silence critics in China.
The leader of the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, Law Yuk-kai, regards the execution of the laws as a certainty. He believes that the only way to pressure the authorities is through the opinions of international citizens and communities.
"The big boss is not in Hong Kong. Authorities cannot take anything out of the proposal, because it is written together with China. They can only make changes in it", he said.
According to him, the most likely victims of the proposed security laws are Hong Kong human rights groups and the [spiritual movement] Falun Gong.
The leader of the China Labour Bulletin, Han Dongfang, regards the law proposal as a destruction of the labour movement. Trade unions in Hong Kong who show solidarity with their Chinese counterparts could be sentenced for attempts to disturb the government. In Mainland China forming unions among employees is illegal.
Han's association helps workers in China defend their human rights against corrupt local governments. "A charge of stealing state secrets would apply when I ask for information about an accident in a coalmine," is his example of how these new laws would make his work far more difficult. [...]
Translated from Finnish
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