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Leopold Chen

Hong Kong authorities have hit out at The Washington Post for making “groundless allegations” about amendments to the city’s home-grown national security law in an editorial, while stressing that foreign businesses have no cause for concern.
The government issued a statement late on Saturday night in response to the American newspaper’s piece titled “Hong Kong’s nightmare gets darker”.
The editorial described as “repressive” the introduction of a mechanism under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance that allows the city leader to classify legal cases as national security ones.
The government said the subsidiary legislation gazetted last week only aimed to clarify “other offences endangering national security” under the relevant legislation and to offer more certainty in their implementation.
“The Procedural Matters Regulation will in no way infringe any legitimate right of a defendant. Hong Kong is a place underpinned by the rule of law,” it said.
“The guilt or innocence of a defendant remains a matter to be adjudicated by the court independently and in accordance with the law. The court will, as always, ensure a defendant’s right to a fair trial.”
On Tuesday, authorities gazetted the Safeguarding National Security (Procedural Matters) Regulation, which stipulates that the chief executive can issue a certificate to classify any case as an alleged national security offence.
The legal effects of the certificates also extend to alternative charges faced by a defendant.

Those facing charges under national security legislation are subject to longer detention periods, stricter bail conditions, trials by designated judges and the denial of the standard one-third sentence remission for good conduct.
The measures are now undergoing “negative vetting” by the Legislative Council, a process that allows laws to come into force before they are scrutinised and approved by lawmakers.
The Washington Post commentary said “the city’s hardline authorities are making the law even more repressive for anyone caught in its net”.
It also said Hong Kong had become “a less secure place to visit or do business” and the changes “will further chill foreign investment”.
In response, the government said the commentary had exposed the newspaper’s “irrational anti-China stance”, and amounted to “wanton slander” and “groundless allegations”.
It emphasised that foreign businesses “have no reason to worry about” the city’s laws safeguarding national security.
“In fact, many entrepreneurs welcome such laws, which ensure a safer and more stable environment for investments and economic development,” the government said.
It also cited a survey from the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong showing increased confidence in the city’s business environment and rule of law.
“It is time for The Washington Post to face facts and respect the truth, including honest opinions expressed by their fellow countrymen who invest their money and do business in and with Hong Kong,” the government said.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the city’s legislature also weighed in and condemned the American publication for its “wanton smearing and slandering”, which it said was made to “serve its anti-China purposes”.
In a statement, a spokesman said: “Safeguarding national security is not Hong Kong’s nightmare, but rather a constitutional responsibility and an inherent duty of [Hong Kong].
“The United States, for example, has at least 21 pieces of legislation on safeguarding national security.
“The Washington Post, however, deliberately targeted and pointed fingers at [Hong Kong’s] continuous efforts in improving its legal system to fulfil a constitutional duty to safeguard national security. That fully displayed their unreasonable anti-China stance and double standards, and clearly violated the professional ethics of journalists.”
The spokesman stressed that lawmakers raised nearly 60 views and questions with officials when scrutinising the amendments and were satisfied that they were consistent with common law principle, “including no retrospective effect at all, not creating any new offence or altering the penalties of any offence, not turning any lawful conduct into an offence, and not applicable to legal proceedings that are concluded”.


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News

Hong Kong

Politics

Editorial describes new mechanism allowing city leader to classify legal cases as national security ones as ‘repressive’


Editorial describes new mechanism allowing city leader to classify legal cases as national security ones as ‘repressive’.


The Washington Post

Hong Kong national security law (NSL)

Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong slams Washington Post commentary on national security law changes

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Editorial describes new mechanism allowing city leader to classify legal cases as national security ones as ‘repressive’

Editorial describes new mechanism allowing city leader to classify legal cases as national security ones as ‘repressive’