HK representative says Article 23 crucial safeguard for Hong Kong's security

Article 23 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China will serve as a crucial safeguard protecting the security and social stability of the region, a member of the HKSAR Legislative Council said on Tuesday.

Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, representing the International Probono Legal Services Association, made the remarks when addressing the 55th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

Ho said that he is currently in Geneva as a survivor of the 2019 protests in Hong Kong. He was assaulted on November 6, 2019, during a campaign event in Tuen Mun by an individual with a knife who pretended to be a supporter of him.

"I am here today because the knife that had stabbed me barely missed my heart, and I will not wish that to happen ever again in a civil society," Ho said.

With the support of nearly 2.2 million residents in Hong Kong, the constitutional duty will finally be a reality, said Ho, adding that no one should ever again feel threatened by bullying and intimidation from local terrorists in Hong Kong.

Ho also said that Article 23's implementation will codify necessary procedural safeguards in line with international human rights standards, as enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and international labor conventions, as stated in Article 39 of the Basic Law.

Ho said that Hong Kong will be safer than ever before, and he believes the UN Human Rights Council will be pleased to know that human rights and the duties to such rights will continue to be observed and exercised in the city.

(Cover: The Golden Bauhinia Square in south China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, February 2, 2024. /CFP)