The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said it was "alarmed" Friday by the arrests made since Wednesday in Hong Kong under the controversial national security law.
"We are alarmed by the fact that arrests are already being made under the law, when there is no complete information on the scope and definition of the crimes" covered by this law, said the porter. - OHCHR's word, Rupert Colville, during a virtual briefing.
24-year-old accused of "inciting secession"
Hundreds of people have been arrested in the former British colony since Wednesday, including ten for an alleged violation of the new national security law, promulgated on Tuesday by Chinese President Xi Jinping. "We are very carefully analyzing the content of this new law to verify its compliance with international human rights obligations applicable in Hong Kong," said Rupert Colville.
"The definition of certain crimes contained in the law is vague and very general," noted the spokesman, stressing that the UN had "many reasons for concern". The Communist regime in Beijing has imposed a text on Hong Kong to suppress subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, in response to the protest movement launched last year against the central power in the former British colony.
The text is very controversial because it violates, according to its critics, the principle "One country - two systems" supposed to guarantee to the former British colony freedoms unknown elsewhere in China. Hong Kong authorities released the first charge under the law on Friday. 24-year-old man accused of hitting his motorcycle on a group of police on Wednesday as thousands of people demonstrating against the law was charged "with one count of incitement to secede, and one count of terrorist activity ", according to the police.
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