Report: Human Rights in Hong Kong Have Deteriorated Further, but Believes Hongkongers Are Still Resisting Oppression

The Hong Kong Center for Human Rights released the "Hong Kong Human Rights Report 2023," stating that the human rights situation in Hong Kong continues to decline. File picture. (Big Mack/The Epoch Times)

The United Nations Human Rights Council is to review the human rights situation in China, including Hong Kong and Macau. The Hong Kong Center for Human Rights released the “Hong Kong Human Rights Report 2023” on Jan. 23. The report revealed that as of 2023, the human rights situation in Hong Kong further deteriorated due to the “Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL),” and the retrogression of the electoral system. However, it is believed that many Hong Kong people are still resisting authoritarianism. The center calls on the international community to continue to pay attention to the human rights violations committed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Hong Kong government and to provide support and protection to Hong Kong people.

The “Hong Kong Human Rights Report 2023” highlighted that at least 48 people were arrested in 2023 on suspicion of violating the NSL or incitement. Four civil organizations were forced to disband due to their political stance or under threats from the NSL.

The Hong Kong Center for Human Rights believes that all these incidents reflect that the Hong Kong government continues to use the NSL and the sedition offense to suppress civil society and dissidents. Authorities are increasingly leveraging the powers of NSL, including applying extraterritorial jurisdiction to place warrants and bounties against individuals and exiled activists for their speeches and acts made outside Hong Kong.

The report also pointed out that the Hong Kong government continues to strengthen its national security apparatus, describing it as holding “extreme powers without any transparency or accountability.” It also cited multiple examples, including the Hong Kong government’s closed-door policy based on the National People’s Congress’s interpretation of the law.

The meeting overturned the decision of the Court of Final Appeal to approve an overseas lawyer to represent the defendant in NSL cases; bypassed the legislature and expanded the power to freeze property in the implementation rules of the NSL; allocated another HK$5 billion (US$640 million) as expenditure to safeguard national security, and all these expenditures are not subject to scrutiny by the Legislature.

The report continued that the Hong Kong police have repeatedly cited Article 63 of the NSL, which prohibits individuals from disclosing any information related to national security cases. Some protest organizers, bound by this provision, have had to cancel their protest applications without being able to explain publicly. The Center criticized this arbitrary reference to the NSL as adding uncertainty to the scope of the law and providing room for authorities to abuse their power.

The Definition of ‘National Security’ Has Not Become Any Clearer

In addition, even though the NSL has been implemented for more than three years and the courts have concluded a number of related cases, the report believes that the definition of “national security” has not become any clearer. On the contrary, cracking down on “soft resistance” has become a tool of repression by the Hong Kong government, and the declaration of various slogans of dissent as being illegal and endangering national security has made the latter becoming more unclear.

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The report also addressed the new District Council, pointing out that the District Council election introduced a stringent political screening mechanism and the reintroduction of appointed seats, describing it as a “regressive District Council system.” The report also criticized the Hong Kong Legislative Council for a significant decline in transparency, with members voting on resolutions anonymously and committee meeting minutes no longer identifying speakers.

The Center further pointed out that the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) pointed out last year that the NSL has, in effect, abolished Hong Kong’s judicial independence; the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention also made an unprecedented opinion that the detention of Chow Hang-tung was “arbitrary,” contrary to the international human rights law.

In addition, since the implementation of the NSL, at least 28 journalists have been arrested, 13 of whom still remained in detention as of the reporting period. The report also pointed out that the Hong Kong government continues to censor freedom of speech and publications in the name of national security. For example, the number of publicly available materials on the June 4th massacre in public libraries has been significantly reduced to one item; reports indicate that nearly 40 percent of political books and recordings were removed from public library collections; at least six films or videos were banned in 2023 or required to be edited before they could be shown publicly.

Human Rights Violations Continue, Yet Hongkongers Are Still Resisting

A spokesperson for the Hong Kong Center for Human Rights said that systematic human rights violations continue to occur in Hong Kong, and the failure of human rights protection mechanisms, including the judiciary and legislative bodies, have contributed to the continued deterioration of Hong Kong’s human rights situation. They call on representatives from all countries to take an active role in urging the CCP and Hong Kong government to act in line with the recommendations of various United Nations human rights mechanisms during this United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

The spokesperson also expressed that they believe that Hong Kong people are still resisting authoritarian oppression, have incorporated this conviction into their daily lives, and have found hope even within the constraints of oppression. They hope that this report will not only bear witness to Hong Kong’s human rights issues but also serve to document the ongoing resistance of Hong Kong people against authoritarianism.

Reuters: The CCP Lobbies Non-Western Countries to Praise China’s Human Rights

In addition, Reuters quoted multiple diplomatic sources as saying that the CCP had actively lobbied many non-Western countries recently, urging them to praise the mainland for its progress in the rights of women and people with disabilities and that they enjoy fuller, broader, and more comprehensive democracy.

The report quoted sources as saying that although countries sometimes try to influence other countries’ speeches at the United Nations through lobbying, the scale of the CCP’s lobbying effort this time is much broader, indicating that the CCP attaches significant importance to this UPR.