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Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday called for the immediate and unconditional release of a former lawmaker following his arrest under national security charges, which marked the first time Macao has invoked China’s sweeping Law on Safeguarding National Security.
Maya Wang, associate China director at HRW, said, “The arrest… reflects the broadening repression radiating from China to Hong Kong and Macao under Chinese leader Xi Jinping.”
Wang warned of a growing trend of systemic censorship under which dozens of pro-democracy activists and journalists have been detained, and voting rights and freedom of speech have been heavily curtailed. On July 30, former lawmaker and pro-democracy activist Au Kam San was arrested after authorities accused him of violating Article 13 of the national security law, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and criminalizes the establishment of “links with organizations or groups” outside Macao to “conduct activities endangering national security.”
The wording of the statute is notably ambiguous and does not provide a threshold as to what actions constitute national security threats, making it susceptible to abuse. Under a textualist lens, a panel of judges could theoretically find that mere criticism of the government triggers the statute. Experts warn political powers may weaponize the law to silence any and all dissent.
While Hong Kong/Macao enjoys a greater degree of autonomy in certain administrative affairs under the “one country, two systems” framework, which was conceived by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s to preserve the region’s distinct status as a former British colony, sovereignty ultimately remains with China. As the 41st anniversary of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration approaches–a treaty that clearly outlined China’s obligations during the handover of Hong Kong–the region has experienced one of the sharpest declines in freedom of expression, dropping 54 points into the ‘crisis category,’ according to the Global Expression Report 2025.
The judiciary has also exacerbated this anti-democratic climate. In 2021, Chinese courts upheld the government’s ban on the Tiananmen Massacre annual vigil, ruling that political slogans violated the Chinese Constitution by inciting the public to “overthrow the existing political system.”
The right to freedom of expression is protected by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which reaffirms international obligations to protect free speech.
The post Group demands release of former Macao lawmaker after arrest under Chinese national security law appeared first on JURIST - News.
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Maya Wang, associate China director at HRW, said, “The arrest… reflects the broadening repression radiating from China to Hong Kong and Macao under Chinese leader Xi Jinping.”
Wang warned of a growing trend of systemic censorship under which dozens of pro-democracy activists and journalists have been detained, and voting rights and freedom of speech have been heavily curtailed. On July 30, former lawmaker and pro-democracy activist Au Kam San was arrested after authorities accused him of violating Article 13 of the national security law, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and criminalizes the establishment of “links with organizations or groups” outside Macao to “conduct activities endangering national security.”
The wording of the statute is notably ambiguous and does not provide a threshold as to what actions constitute national security threats, making it susceptible to abuse. Under a textualist lens, a panel of judges could theoretically find that mere criticism of the government triggers the statute. Experts warn political powers may weaponize the law to silence any and all dissent.
While Hong Kong/Macao enjoys a greater degree of autonomy in certain administrative affairs under the “one country, two systems” framework, which was conceived by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s to preserve the region’s distinct status as a former British colony, sovereignty ultimately remains with China. As the 41st anniversary of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration approaches–a treaty that clearly outlined China’s obligations during the handover of Hong Kong–the region has experienced one of the sharpest declines in freedom of expression, dropping 54 points into the ‘crisis category,’ according to the Global Expression Report 2025.
The judiciary has also exacerbated this anti-democratic climate. In 2021, Chinese courts upheld the government’s ban on the Tiananmen Massacre annual vigil, ruling that political slogans violated the Chinese Constitution by inciting the public to “overthrow the existing political system.”
The right to freedom of expression is protected by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which reaffirms international obligations to protect free speech.
The post Group demands release of former Macao lawmaker after arrest under Chinese national security law appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.