Hong Kong Watch statement on the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover and the fourth anniversary of the National Security Law
Today marks the 27th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong and the fourth anniversary of the imposition of the draconian National Security Law by Beijing. These anniversaries are a solemn time for the people of Hong Kong and those in democratic countries who stand with Hong Kongers in their struggle for autonomous government, the rule of law, and basic rights and freedoms.
The erosion of Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms, as guaranteed under the Basic Law and international treaty obligations, has rapidly intensified over the past year. On 23 March, the Hong Kong government passed the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO), commonly known as ‘Article 23’ legislation, which introduced broadly-defined offences of treason, theft of state secrets, and external interference. It allows for closed-door trials and detentions up to 16 days without charge. The hasty introduction of this draconian law was broadly condemned by international lawmakers, legal experts and human rights NGOs.
A week after the passing of the SNSO, pro-democracy activist Ma Chun-man became the first Hong Konger to have the SNSO applied retroactively to his sentence. The first new arrests under the SNSO were made in May, with the detention of five women and one man for allegedly posting seditious content on social media. In June, Hong Kong police exercised new powers created under the SNSO to cancel the passports of six exiled pro-democracy activists living in the UK, having previously issued thirteen arrest warrants with HK$1 million (£100,508) bounties in July and December last year.
The trial of Jimmy Lai, a British citizen who founded the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, has been one of the most high-profile cases prosecuted under the National Security Law. Mr Lai faces three charges which carry a maximum punishment of life in prison, and one charge for “conspiracy to publish seditious publications” under the colonial-era sedition law. Mr Lai has spent well over 1000 days in prison, mostly in solitary confinement.
In May, 14 of the 47 pro-democracy lawmakers and journalists arrested and prosecuted for organising and participating in ‘unofficial’ primaries were found guilty of subversion, after a 118-days trial. The majority of defendants have been in detention for 2 years, as only 13 have been granted bail.
In the face of the plights faced by Hong Kong’s political prisoners, this anniversary offers a chance for reflection on the broken promises made to the people of Hong Kong. Lord Patten, the last Governor of Hong Kong and Patron of Hong Kong Watch, commented in a video message to mark the anniversary of the handover:
“We felt a real obligation to all the people in Hong Kong and we therefore negotiated with the Chinese Communist Party a treaty to guarantee for them for 50 years after 1997 both their existing way of life, the rule of law and a high degree of autonomy. [...] the Chinese Communist Party trashed that treaty, which had been lodged at the United Nations. They said it was simply a historic document. It was not – it was a treaty.”
With the continued assault on Hong Kong’s basic rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the Chinese government and the Beijing-endorsed ‘patriotic’ Hong Kong Legislative Councillors have made clear their total disregard for their international human rights obligations.
Against a backdrop of growing authoritarianism worldwide, like-minded democratic governments must take concrete action in response to human rights abuses and the erosion of democratic norms. This must include holding the perpetrators to account through targeted sanctions, expanding lifeboat schemes for Hong Kongers who are currently left behind, pushing for the release of political prisoners, and calling out the PRC government’s human rights abuses.
In particular, in a briefing published today, we call on the UK government to expand the BNO scheme to allow all those who were children at the time of the handover, and who were born to parents with BNO status, to apply for the BNO scheme. These individuals had no control over whether they received BNO status or not, and many are now left without a route out of the city while their family and friends leave for the UK. We call for the UK government to make good on the UK’s historic commitments to the people of Hong Kong.
Since 1 July 1997, and especially since 1 July 2020, the people of Hong Kong have endured the loss of what many residents cherished most about their city. On the 27th anniversary of this solemn date, we call on governments worldwide to stand with the people of Hong Kong and commit to action on this devastating assault on human rights, freedom and democracy.
香港監察就香港主權移交27週年暨國安法實施四週年的聲明
今天是香港主權移交27週年，也是北京強推苛法《國家安全法》四週年的日子。對香港人，以及支持港人爭取自治、法治、基本權利和自由的民主國家人民而言，這些週年是嚴肅沉重的時刻。
過去一年，當局對《基本法》及國際條約義務所保障香港的權利和自由的破壞迅速加劇。3月23日，香港政府通過《維護國家安全條例》（俗稱「23條」）。23條引入定義寬廣的叛國、竊取國家機密、境外干預等罪行，容許閉門審訊及羈留未被落案起訴的被捕者最長16日。這項倉促推行的苛法廣受國際社會譴責，包括立法議員、法律專家和人權非政府組織。
23條通過一星期後，社運人士馬俊文因當局追溯應用23條而未獲減刑，成為首例。5月，香港國安處首次動用23條拘捕五女一男，指他們涉嫌在社交媒體上發布具煽動意圖的帖文。6月，香港警方根據23條撤銷六名流亡英國社運人士的特區護照。上年7月和12月，港警通緝13名海外社運人士，每人懸紅100萬港元（100,508英鎊），當中包括上述六人。
黎智英的審訊是備受關注的國安案之一。黎是英國公民，創辦了民主派報紙《蘋果日報》，《蘋果》現已停運。他被控三項《國安法》控罪，最高可判處終身監禁，另被控一項殖民時代煽動法下的「串謀發布煽動刊物」罪。他已在獄中度過一千多日，大部分時間是單獨囚禁。
5月，經過118日的審訊，因組織及參與香港立法會初選而被拘捕並起訴的47名民主派人士中，14人被裁定「串謀顛覆國家政權」罪成。所有被告中只有13人獲准保釋，大多數已被還押兩年。
面對香港政治犯所經歷的困境，這個週年提供機會反思中國對香港人違背的承諾。香港監察贊助人、前港督彭定康勳爵（Lord Patten of Barnes）在主權移交27週年錄影講話中表示：
「我們覺得對全體香港人有實際義務，因此與中國共產黨談判達成一項條約，保證香港人在1997年之後的50年享有現存的生活方式、法治和高度自治……中共廢棄了那已向聯合國登記的條約。他們說那只是歷史文件。它不是歷史文件——它是條約。」
《中英聯合聲明》所保障香港的基本權利和自由持續受到侵犯，中國政府及北京認可的「愛國者」香港立法會議員表明，他們完全無視國際人權義務。
當下威權主義在全球日漸抬頭，志同道合的民主政府必須採取具體行動，應對侵犯人權和破壞民主準則的行為。這必須包括透過指名制裁追究肇事者的責任，為目前未能離港的香港人擴大救生艇計劃，推動釋放政治犯，並譴責中國政府侵犯人權的行為。
具體而言，香港監察今天發表簡報，呼籲英國政府擴大BNO計劃，讓主權移交時未成年的BNO身分持有人子女能夠獨立申請BNO計劃。這群人無法控制自己獲得BNO身分與否，當中許多人的家人和朋友已移居英國，自己卻因沒有離港途徑而被留下來。我們呼籲英國政府兌現英國對香港人的歷史承諾。
自1997年7月1日以來，尤其是自2020年7月1日以來，香港人失去了許多人珍而重之香港所擁有的價值。在這嚴肅沉重的27週年之日，我們呼籲世界各國政府站在香港人一方，承諾就這種嚴重侵犯人權、自由和民主的行為採取行動。