Hong Kong’s government has criticized a United Nations committee report that recommended a review and changes to the territory’s repressive national security law and human rights practices.
In a press statement on March 7, an unnamed government spokesperson said the report from the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, seeking a review of the various aspects of the national security law was “one-sided and flawed” and “totally unfounded, but also utterly perplexing.”
The spokesperson said Hong Kong’s government “strongly deplores and resolutely rejects the concluding observations the committee issued.”
The official alleged that the UN committee made “inaccurate, biased, and misleading statements on various aspects of the situation in Hong Kong.”
The report from the UN committee was part of its third periodic report of China, including Hong Kong and Macau released on March 6, Hong Kong Free Press reported.
“The committee is concerned about reports of arrests, detentions, and trials without due process of civil society actors, journalists, human rights defenders, [and] lawyers working on human rights,” the report read.
“Hong Kong’s government claimed it stands for the freedom of all citizens”
The committee recommended the Hong Kong authorities should “immediately provide all due process guarantees of human rights defenders” and other activists of the 2019-2020 protests against the anti-extradition bill and national security law enactment.
In the press statement, Hong Kong’s government claimed it stands for the freedom of all citizens under the security law and follows due process of justice.
“The national security law does not affect the legitimate exercise of the freedom of expression by Hong Kong residents, including criticizing government policies or policies and decisions made by officials,” the statement said.
Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing government last week lashed out at British foreign secretary, James Cleverly, who slammed Hong Kong’s usage of the national security law against press freedom and free speech at a UN Human Rights Council meeting on Feb. 27.
Hong Kong’s government said it “strongly objects” to the UN committee’s “groundless smearing against the law enforcement actions taken by the Hong Kong government during the 2019 serious violence.”
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