A politician essentially handpicked by Beijing, Chief Executive John Lee, has dealt a lethal blow to the rule of law in Hong Kong. It¡¯s simple and easy to understand. People in the city literally can no longer file judicial reviews to challenge government decisions. National security will prevail in every matter.
The chief executive can now certify anything as ¡°endangering national security¡± and thus restrict freedom of expression with the new unlimited power given to him. Judges will have no say as the secretary for justice has already made it clear.
On June 8, Lee that he will decide and certify whether any matters would involve national security and the decisions cannot be challenged. Nobody knows about the criteria, except for Lee himself. In April, it was announced that travelers who refused to share passwords or deny access to personal electronic devices could be subject to criminal charges in Hong Kong. It means that not just people in Hong Kong, visitors can also be subjected to national security charges if the chief executive deems any messages in your devices to be ¡°endangering national security¡± and he¡¯s the one who has the absolute power to ¡°certify¡± that.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.