HL Deb 22 July 2002 vol 638 cc1-2WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they consider that the action of police in Hong Kong in March and April, when they arrested and charged 16 Swiss and local practitioners of Falun Gong, together with the reported preparation of a new "subversion law", constitute breaches of the constitution of Hong Kong; and, if so, what action they propose to take. [HL5192]

Baroness Amos

The 16 Falun Gong demonstrators who were arrested in March have all been charged with public order offences. Their trial, which began on 17 June, is still continuing and Her Majesty's Government therefore cannot comment on the outcome of the cases. We have confidence in the impartiality of the Hong Kong judicial system which is independent from that of mainland China.

Under Article 23 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administative Region (SAR) (in effect Hong Kong's constitution), the SAR Government are required to enact laws on their own to prohibit, among other things, subversion. The SAR Government have committed themselves to undertake wide public consultation on the content of possible legislation, but have yet to announce any timetable for the consultation exercise or for the introduction of legislation. Her Majesty's Government welcome the commitment by the SAR Government to consult widely and consider it essential that any legislation is consistent with international human rights treaties.

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