Opinion piece labels new rule allowing city leader to designate legal cases as national security matters as 'oppressive'
In response to the American newspaper's article titled "Hong Kong’s nightmare gets darker," the government released a statement late Saturday night.
The editorial characterized the creation of a mechanism under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance—which permits the city's leader to categorize legal proceedings as national security cases—as "repressive."
The government clarified that the subsidiary legislation published last week was solely intended to define "other offences endangering national security" under the relevant law and to provide greater clarity in their enforcement.
"The Procedural Matters Regulation will in no way infringe upon any legitimate rights of a defendant. Hong Kong is a society founded on the rule of law," the statement read.
"Whether a defendant is guilty or innocent remains a matter to be determined by the court independently and according to the law. The court will, as always, guarantee a defendant’s right to a fair trial."