International experts and organizations have expressed concerns over freedom of religion in Hong Kong after the authorities introduced a new security law stipulating tough penalties
Newsroom (18/03/2024 09:08, Gaudium Press) A group of 16 international experts and organizations have called for immediate global action to defend freedom of religion in Hong Kong, expressing serious concern over its new security law.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the activists said the proposed national security law “directly threatens religious freedom, and particularly, the confidentiality of the Sacrament of Penance – otherwise known as ‘Confession’, in the Catholic Church.”
Hong Kong’s rubber-stamp legislature introduced the new domestic law last Friday. It will be used along with the one Beijing imposed in 2020 after crushing strong pro-democracy protests.
Under the new security law, a person can be punished with up to 14 years in prison for knowing that another person has committed “treason” but not telling the authorities within a reasonable time. The rights activists said the new law could force a priest to reveal what has been said in Confession, against his will and conscience, and in violation of the privacy of the individual confession.
The Diocese of Hong Kong on Friday issued a statement that the seal of confession would not be violated under the new National Security Law, legislation that grants greater latitude to prosecute crimes of treason and foreign political interference.
“With regard to the legislation of Article 23 on safeguarding national security, the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong recognizes that as a citizen, it has obligation to national security,” the March 15 statement said.
In the brief statement, released on Friday, the Diocese of Hong Kong stated that the legislation will not alter the confidential nature of confession (the sacrament of reconciliation) of the Church. According to diocesan figures, the Catholic population of Hong Kong — a city of 7.5 million — is 392,000.
The new 212-page homegrown National Security Law, also known as Article 23 of the Basic Law — the constitutional document guaranteeing Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy under Chinese rule — is the latest attempt to curtail civil liberty and crack down on crimes against national security, including treason, espionage, external interference, and disclosure of state secrets.
Clergy Could Face 14 Years in Prison
The proposed legislation, unveiled on March 8, comes after a four-week-long consultation period, culminating in a 220-page summary report. The new legislation carries up to life imprisonment for treason, while failure to disclose treason committed by others carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. It includes a provision to protect attorneys from being charged with treason but does now allow clergy the same protection.
Hong Kong’s Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok told journalists last week that it would be “very difficult to create exceptions” for people like clergy and social workers.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCAN News and NCR
