Hong Kong Watch: the banning of the Hong Kong National Party is in breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration

Hong Kong Watch: the banning of the Hong Kong National Party is in breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration 

The decision to ban the Hong Kong National party is a clear breach of the rights protected in the handover agreement. Freedom of Expression and Assembly are fundamental rights enshrined in international law and protected by the Sino-British Joint Declaration. This unprecedented move to openly flout the handover arrangement sets an incredibly dangerous precedent and does not help Hong Kong's international image. 

The banning of the Hong Kong National Party is another example of the Hong Kong government appropriating vague and anachronistic colonial legislation to curtail basic rights and freedoms. The Hong Kong National Party was banned under the Societies Ordinance, a law which was created to target triad gangs and was only used in political situations when it was clear that groups were seeking to overthrow the government through violent means. The unprecedented step to ban an obscure party which had expressed opposition to the government, but not sought to enact that with violent actions, is an abuse of the law which could have further repercussions if applied to other parties. 

The government of Hong Kong should immediately reform the Societies Ordinance and should consider overturning the ban on the Hong Kong National Party so as to meet their commitments under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.