The response issued by a government spokesman late on Saturday night followed a comment from the US newspaper headlined “Hong Kong’s nightmare gets darker.”
The article described the introduction of a new mechanism under the National Security Protection Law, which allows the city leader to classify legal cases as national security issues, as “oppressive.”
The sub-legislation published in the Official Gazette earlier in the week only aims to clarify “other crimes endangering national security” under the relevant legislation and provide more certainty in their implementation, the government said in the statement.
“The list of procedural matters will in no way violate any legitimate right of the accused. Hong Kong is a place upheld by the rule of law,” she said.
“The guilt or innocence of the accused remains a matter for the court to decide independently and in accordance with the law. The court will, as always, guarantee the right of the accused to a fair trial.”
The authorities published the National Security Protection (Procedural Matters) Regulations in the Official Gazette on Tuesday, which stipulates that the chief executive can issue a certificate to classify any case as an alleged national security crime.
