Hong Kong slams Washington Post commentary on national security law changes
Opinion piece describes new mechanism allowing city leader to classify legal cases as national security ones as ‘repressive’
The government issued a statement late on Saturday night in response to the American newspaper’s commentary, titled “Hong Kong’s nightmare gets darker”.
The piece 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.”