Advertisement
UN rights chief warns Hong Kong national security law having ‘chilling effect’ on basic freedoms
- Michelle Bachelet says recent arrests of democracy activists ‘risk causing a wider chilling effect on the exercise of fundamental freedoms’
- She also voiced concern over ‘ongoing reports of a range of serious human rights violations in China’s Xinjiang’
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
26
00:49
Hong Kong national security law has ‘chilling effect’ on freedoms, says UN human rights chief
Hong Kong national security law has ‘chilling effect’ on freedoms, says UN human rights chief
The UN rights chief on Wednesday voiced deep concern over arrests of activists in Hong Kong, warning that a tough new security law was having a “chilling effect” on basic freedoms.
Advertisement
“I am concerned about the rapidly shrinking civic and democratic space, especially since the passage of the national security law,” Michelle Bachelet told reporters in her annual year-end press conference in Geneva.
Critics say the draconian national security law, passed on June 30, destroys the freedoms once enjoyed in Hong Kong, enshrined in an agreement made before the 1997 handover from British colonial rule back to China.
Beijing says the law and prosecution of critics is needed to restore stability after last year’s huge and often violent protests.
07:30
China’s Rebel City: The Hong Kong Protests
China’s Rebel City: The Hong Kong Protests
Bachelet noted on Wednesday that during the mass protests, she had called for “a broad, open, inclusive dialogue to resolve the situation”.
Advertisement
Advertisement