Conservative MP and foreign affairs critic Michael Chong is calling on the federal government to condemn proposed legislation in Hong Kong that he says, if enacted, would allow the communist regime to further suppress free speech and democratic expressions.
Article 23, outlined in Hong Kong’s Basic Law enacted after its handover from British rule in 1997, mandated that Hong Kong write its own national security legislation.
The proposed national security law outlined in Article 23 seeks to establish
five offences: treason, insurrection, theft of state secrets and espionage, sabotage endangering national security, and external interference. However, concerns over the law’s potential use for suppressing basic rights led to a massive protest in 2003. This led to the Hong Kong government withdrawing the proposal in September 2003, and further developments
stalled, until
recently.
On Jan. 30, Hong Kong authorities launched a
public consultation on potentially reintroducing the national security legislation.
With the consultation period ending on Feb. 28, Mr. Chong called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government to “publicly voice its concerns about the proposed national security legislation and stand up for Hong Kong’s civil rights as guaranteed in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.”
“This proposed legislation would further criminalize free speech, debate and peaceful protest in Hong Kong. It would also increase police powers over pre-charge detention and eliminate procedural steps in national security trials, further undermining the rule of law in Hong Kong,” he said in a
statement posted on X on Feb. 28.
Mr. Chong highlighted the misuse of a similar law
—the “Hong Kong National Security Law“—imposed by Beijing in
June 2020. He wrote that, since the enactment of this legislation, “more than 280 people
—including pro-democracy advocates
—have been inappropriately arrested under the pretext of endangering national security.”
“The Hong Kong government’s recent acts of repression make it clear that the Hong Kong authorities would abuse the proposed new offences to suppress legitimate dissent and civil rights,” he said.
Guaranteed Rights
Hong Kong’s
Basic Law is a component of the
Sino-British Joint Declaration, an international treaty signed in 1984 that came into force the following year. It ensures a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong following its return to Chinese rule in 1997.
Despite the guaranteed autonomy until 2047, however, the Beijing regime has made various attempts to exert tighter control over the so-called special administrative region over the years.
Beijing’s efforts to undermine the treaty’s validity include repeated statements from Chinese officials that the United Kingdom no longer has supervisory authority over Hong Kong since the 1997 handover. They argue that the treaty is considered a “
historical document“ with no remaining binding authority.
Mr. Chong noted that recent changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system, providing Beijing with greater control, suggest that the proposed national security legislation is “expected to easily pass.”
Various governments and rights advocates have united in condemning the Chinese authorities for their erosion of democracy and civil rights in Hong Kong.
On Feb. 29, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron
expressed concern, “strongly” urging Hong Kong authorities to reconsider their proposal to pass their own national security law. He further called on them to “engage in genuine and meaningful consultation with the people of Hong Kong.”
On Feb. 19, Hong Kong Watch issued a
joint statement with over 80 civil society organizations from around the world, condemning the Hong Kong authorities’ consultation for the proposed Article 23 legislation.
The rights advocacy group further made a
submission to the Hong Kong government on Feb. 27, demanding that it repeal Beijing’s 2020 National Security Law, uphold the Sino-British Joint Declaration, and ensure the basic rights of the people of Hong Kong.
