May 19, 2003

HONG KONG (AP)--A U.S. human rights group charged Tuesday that a planned anti-subversion law will erode Hong Kong's freedoms and urged lawmakers to reject the bill.

"The clock is ticking on civil liberties in Hong Kong," said Brad Adams, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division. "The clear majority of Hong Kong people are opposed to this bill. We urge the Legislative Council to heed public opinion and firmly reject the legislation."

The anti-subversion measure has come under fierce attack from rights groups, pro-democracy lawmakers and others since officials began work on it last year.

But Hong Kong's government has solid support from pro-Beijing and pro-business allies in the Legislative Council so the bill appears headed for certain passage in the next few months.

Human Rights Watch said the bill as it's now written would "introduce Chinese legal standards through the back door and could forever erode the civil liberties" that distinguish Hong Kong from China.

Since Hong Kong's return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, it has been governed under a so-called "one country, two systems" arrangement that guarantees considerable local autonomy and civil liberties.

But Hong Kong also has been constitutionally required to outlaw subversion, sedition, treason, secession and other crimes against the state. The planned legislation has stirred up one of the territory's biggest political fights since the hand-over.

Human Rights Watch said similar subversion laws in mainland China are regularly used to convict and imprison journalists, labor activists, Internet entrepreneurs and academics.

Hong Kong's government says the law is needed to protect national security and officials have repeatedly disputed suggestions that Hong Kong's freedoms are under threat.

Connie Lam, a spokeswoman of the Security Bureau, had no immediate comments on the Human Rights Watch's allegations.

Concerns have been raised that the law will be used to target the Falun Gong meditation [group], which is outlawed [...] in China but thus far remains legal in Hong Kong. [...]