OHCHR / HONG KONG NATIONAL SECURITY BILL
STORY: OHCHR / HONG KONG NATIONAL SECURITY BILL
TRT: 01:45
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 19 MARCH 2024, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, exteriors, Palais Wilson
19 MARCH 2024, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson, UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR):
“The UN Human Rights Chief deplores the accelerated consideration and adoption of a national security bill in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, in spite of serious concerns raised by the UN Human Rights Office about the incompatibility of many of its provisions with international human rights law. The broadly defined and vague provisions in the Bill, under Article 23 of Hong Kong’s Basic Law, could lead to the criminalization of a wide range of conducts protected under international human rights law, including freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, and the right to receive and impart information.”
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
3. Close up, exteriors, OHCHR sign
19 MARCH 2024, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson, UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR):
“The High Commissioner says the ambiguity is deeply troubling, given its potential misuse and arbitrary application, including to target dissenting voices, journalists, researchers, civil society actors and human rights defenders. As we have already seen, such provisions readily lead to self-censorship and chilling of legitimate speech and conduct, in respect of matters of public interest on which open debate is vital.”
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
5. Wide shot, exteriors, Palais Wilson
19 MARCH 2024, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson, UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR):
“For such important legislation, with a significant impact on human rights to be passed without a thorough process of deliberation and meaningful consultation, is a regressive step for the protection of human rights in Hong Kong.”
FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
7. Wide shot, exteriors, Palais Wilson
The UN Human Rights Chief deplores the accelerated consideration and adoption of a national security bill in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, in spite of serious concerns raised by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) about the incompatibility of many of its provisions with international human rights law, a spokesperson said.
In a video message today (19 Mar) UN Human Rights Office spokesperson, Jeremy Laurence said, “The broadly defined and vague provisions in the Bill, under Article 23 of Hong Kong’s Basic Law, could lead to the criminalization of a wide range of conducts protected under international human rights law, including freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, and the right to receive and impart information.”
He continued, “The High Commissioner says the ambiguity is deeply troubling, given its potential misuse and arbitrary application, including to target dissenting voices, journalists, researchers, civil society actors and human rights defenders. As we have already seen, such provisions readily lead to self-censorship and chilling of legitimate speech and conduct, in respect of matters of public interest on which open debate is vital.”
He concluded, “For such important legislation, with a significant impact on human rights to be passed without a thorough process of deliberation and meaningful consultation, is a regressive step for the protection of human rights in Hong Kong.”