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Hong Kong Officials Rebut Washington Post Editorial on National Security Law
Hong Kong authorities issued a statement late Saturday rejecting a Washington Post commentary that described new procedural rules under the city's national security ordinance as repressive. Officials said the rules clarify implementation and do not affect defendants' rights.
Jun 14, 12:38 AM·1m read1 source
South China Morning PostAudio version
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Hong Kong officials issued a statement late Saturday rejecting a Washington Post editorial that described amendments to the city's national security law as repressive. The commentary, titled "Hong Kong's nightmare gets darker," criticized a new mechanism allowing the chief executive to classify cases as national security matters under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.
A government spokesman said the subsidiary legislation gazetted earlier in the week only clarifies "other offences endangering national security" and provides more certainty in implementation. The statement added that the Procedural Matters Regulation will not infringe any legitimate right of a defendant and that Hong Kong remains underpinned by the rule of law.
"The guilt or innocence of a defendant remains a matter to be adjudicated by the court independently and in accordance with the law," the statement said.
Authorities gazetted the Safeguarding National Security (Procedural Matters) Regulation on Tuesday. The regulation stipulates that the chief executive can issue a certificate classifying any case as an alleged national security offence. Officials also stated that foreign businesses have no cause for concern regarding the changes.
