HKSAR govt condemns foreign entities' allegations on freedoms of press, speech in Hong Kong

HONG KONG -- The government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday strongly condemned a totally erroneous statement issued by the British government in the name of a number of foreign entities under the so-called "Media Freedom Coalition" concerning the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong.

"We express our deep regret and must rebuke those foreign entities for signing a 'media freedom-related' statement that contained no more than the usual fact-twisting and opinionated attacks against the National Security Law in Hong Kong," said a spokesperson for the HKSAR government.

It is baseless for the statement signatories to make such allegations that Hong Kong authorities have targeted and suppressed independent media in the HKSAR since the enactment of the national security law in Hong Kong, the spokesperson said.

Contrary to their allegations, the implementation of the national security law has restored stability in society and the people of Hong Kong are no longer threatened or intimidated by acts or activities endangering national security or their everyday life, according to the spokesperson.

Since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the HKSAR government has been firmly committed to safeguarding the freedoms of the press and speech, both of which are protected under the HKSAR Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson pointed out that according to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the exercising of the freedoms of the press and speech must comply with the restrictions of the national security law for reasons including protection of national security.

"We must reiterate that all law enforcement actions taken by Hong Kong law enforcement agencies under the national security law in Hong Kong, or indeed any local legislation, are based on evidence, strictly according to the law and for the acts of the persons or entities concerned, and have nothing to do with their occupation, background or political stance," the spokesperson said, noting, "The law enforcement actions taken by the HKSAR government against Stand News adhered to such fundamental principles."

"The media landscape in Hong Kong is as vibrant as ever," the spokesperson said, citing an increase in the number of registered media organizations after the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong.

"As always, the media can exercise their right to monitor the HKSAR government's work, and their freedom of commenting on or even criticizing government policies remains uninhibited as long as this is not in violation of the law," said the spokesperson.