European Union, UN criticise new Hong Kong security law

The European Union and the United Nations said Hong Kong’s new national security bill was deeply worrying and could erode fundamental freedoms in the China-ruled city.
“It is alarming that such consequential legislation was rushed through the legislature through an accelerated process, in spite of serious concerns raised about the incompatibility of many of its provisions with international human rights law,” said United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk in a statement released on Tuesday.
The comments came the same day Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously passed the new bill only two weeks after it was first presented, fast-tracking a major piece of legislation that critics say further threatens the city’s freedoms.
The package, known as Article 23, punishes offences including treason, sabotage, sedition, the theft of state secrets, external interference and espionage with sentences ranging from several years to life imprisonment.
The legislation follows a China-imposed national security law passed in 2020 after violent street protests a year earlier.
Since the law was imposed, scores of pro-democracy activists have been jailed and the legislation also triggered sanctions from the United States, including against Chief Executive John Lee and other senior government officials.