Hong Kong government expresses ‘strong opposition’ to US criticism of religious freedom in city
- US State Department report cites religious leaders and groups in Hong Kong as saying authorities ‘less tolerant since the passage of the national security law’
- ‘All enforcement actions taken under the national security law are based on evidence and have nothing to do with their political stance,’ city administration says
The paper, published by the State Department on Thursday, cited religious leaders and organisations in Hong Kong as saying the city government “had grown less tolerant since the passage of the national security law”.
Titled “2021 Report on International Religious Freedom”, details also included interviewees’ concerns over self-censorship and “potential targeting of civil society organisations affiliated with religious groups active in the 2019 pro-democracy movement”.
In a statement on Friday night, the Hong Kong government said “chaos has stopped and order has been restored” in the city following the implementation of the Beijing-imposed security law in 2020.
It said the legislation ensured the implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle, adding that rights and freedoms, such as those of speech and association, would be protected in accordance with the law.
“All enforcement actions taken under the national security law are based on evidence and have nothing to do with their political stance, background or occupation,” the government statement said.
The US report, which reviewed incidents involving religious figures and organisations in Hong Kong last year, was published amid frequent outcries by Western countries against what they viewed as the city’s bids to silence dissent.
