Hong Kong: Prison rule changes mark ‘dangerous erosion’ of prisoners’ rights
Today, the Hong Kong government introduced immediate changes to the Prison Rules, granting the Correctional Services Department broad powers to restrict prisoners’ visits and meetings with lawyers – citing vague grounds such as safeguarding national security.
In response, Fernando Cheung, Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas’ spokesperson, said:
“The latest prison rule amendments grant Correctional Services Department sweeping powers to ban visits on vague ‘national security’ grounds.
“This represents a dangerous erosion of the right of detainees to communicate with the outside world and to receive visits from family, friends, and lawyers.
“These changes strike at the heart of fair trial rights. When authorities can restrict lawyer visits citing national security, they’re effectively denying detainees the right to call upon legal assistance of their own choosing, as well as adequate time and facilities to prepare their defence and to communicate with counsel of their own choosing.”
