HKSAR gov’t strongly opposes bullying act by U.S.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Wednesday that it strongly opposed the so-called “statement” issued by the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China regarding the HKSAR’s criminal justice process for cases concerning the national security law in Hong Kong.
The HKSAR government vehemently condemned the U.S. politicians’ attempt to seek the imposition of so-called “sanctions” on prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DoJ) of the HKSAR government who have been fulfilling their righteous duties of administering justice independently and impartially, it said in a statement.
The HKSAR government strongly objects to the purely politically oriented remarks of the U.S. politicians, a spokesperson for the HKSAR government said, adding that making a statement with the intent to interfere with or obstruct the course of justice, or engaging in conduct with the same intent, may even constitute the offence of criminal contempt of court or the offence of perverting the course of justice.
“Pursuant to Article 63 of the Basic Law, the DoJ controls criminal prosecutions, free from any interference. The prosecutors act strictly in accordance with a longstanding international practice that the decision to prosecute will only take into consideration the applicable laws and the admissible evidence to justify instituting proceedings. Cases will never be handled any differently owing to the political beliefs or backgrounds of the persons involved,” the spokesperson said.
Hong Kong is a society underpinned by the rule of law and has always adhered to the principle that laws must be obeyed and lawbreakers be held accountable and Hong Kong’s judicial system has always been highly regarded by international communities, the spokesperson said.
The Judiciary exercises judicial power independently in accordance with the law, free from any interference. Everyone charged with a criminal offence has the right to a fair hearing, the spokesperson added.
“Safeguarding national security falls within the internal affairs of a sovereign jurisdiction, and hence the implementation of the Hong Kong national security law in the HKSAR should be free from any form of interference,” the spokesperson said.
The U.S. politicians’ arbitrary and unreasonable bullying act has seriously violated international norms and grossly interfered in HKSAR’s affairs and China’s internal affairs at large. It is a blatant attempt to undermine the rule of law of Hong Kong and will only expose their own weakness and be doomed to fail, the spokesperson said.
Also on Wednesday, the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR strongly disapproved of and firmly rejected the statement issued by the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, saying that it interfered into the trial of the Hong Kong 47 case, discredited the national security law in Hong Kong, sugarcoated anti-China elements in Hong Kong, and clamored for sanctions against prosecutors and other officials of the HKSAR.
“We urge relevant U.S. politicians to immediately stop interfering into Hong Kong’s judiciary,” said a spokesperson for the office.
The spokesperson said the anti-China forces used so-called “primaries” to fabricate misleading public opinion in a bid to seize control of the Legislative Council, cripple the HKSAR government and pressure the central government and the HKSAR government.
Their behavior was not to organize an opinion poll, but to challenge the constitutional order of the HKSAR, which was a serious damage to Hong Kong’s electoral system, and is suspected of violating the national security law, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson noted that the judiciary of the HKSAR handles cases impartially in strict accordance with laws and legal procedures and it brooks no reproach.
U.S. politicians trampled on the law and justice, interfered into the judicial proceedings of the HKSAR, and attempted to intimidate HKSAR prosecutors with illegal unilateral sanctions, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson stressed that no external intervention could change the determination of the HKSAR to enforce laws impartially or the resolve of the Chinese side to safeguard national security.
The spokesperson urged U.S. politicians to immediately stop wading into Hong Kong affairs, not to stand on the opposite side of justice and the rule of law, and not to stand against the 1.4 billion Chinese people.