Human rights in Hong Kong are at their worst since it was handed back to China by Britain 20 years ago, activists said Wednesday, as Beijing stands accused of tightening its hold on the semi-autonomous city.
A new report by Amnesty International Hong Kong looking back at 2016 said rights in the city had rapidly deteriorated and had \u00ab\u00a0failed on many fronts\u00a0\u00bb.
The report cited the lack of investigation over the mysterious disappearances of five booksellers who peddled materials critical of Beijing’s elites, a saga it said had raised alarm over whether the physical safety of Hong Kong people is sufficiently guaranteed.
All five of the missing men resurfaced on the mainland.
Amnesty said the government’s failure to probe the disappearances despite pressure from rights groups contrasted to previous years when they said Hong Kong authorities had been more responsive.
A rare interpretation by Beijing of Hong Kong’s constitution which prompted the disqualification of two pro-independence lawmakers also raised questions about the autonomy of the city’s judiciary, which is protected under the \u00ab\u00a0One Country, Two Systems\u00a0\u00bb agreement with China, the report said.
Attacks on journalists by police officers without a criminal investigation and attempting to deter residents from exercising their rights to freedom of assembly were further challenges, it said.
\u00ab\u00a0It’s the worst year since the handover in terms of rule of law and freedom of expression,\u00a0\u00bb Amnesty International Hong Kong’s director Mabel Au told AFP.
\u00ab\u00a0The government has a responsibility to ensure that citizens can express their views freely without fear,\u00a0\u00bb the report added, saying authorities should not invoke \u00ab\u00a0obscure laws\u00a0\u00bb to intimidate the public.
It noted the high levels of mistrust in the government and suspicions that politicians are selling out the public for political gains as the city enters a tense election season for its leader.
\u00ab\u00a0The Hong Kong government and civil servants should make defending the rights of Hong Kong people their first priority,\u00a0\u00bb the report said.
It also raised concerns after current leader Leung Chun-ying floated the possibility that the city might seek to opt out of the United Nations convention against torture that requires it to protect refugees who would face persecution if returned home.
That suggestion came after criticism from some lawmakers and sections of the public that Hong Kong was receiving too many asylum seekers.<\/p>\n

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