- Hong Kong's 'freedom score' dropped from 63 to 61 as the US think tank concluded that Beijing has been tightening its grip over the city. Graphic: Courtesy of Freedom House
A US government-funded think tank has concluded that Hong Kong is now slightly less free than it was a year ago, because the mainland has been tightening its grip on the city’s affairs.
In the latest annual report by Freedom House, published on Wednesday, Hong Kong was again rated as "partly free", though its overall score for political rights and civil liberties dipped from 63 to 61 out of 100.
The report said "Beijing's encroachment on freedoms in the territory" is reflected in, among other things, its recent interpretation of the Basic Law aimed at barring independence advocates from the legislature.
It also cited the detention by mainland authorities of five booksellers from a Causeway Bay book store, and said there were setbacks for both journalistic and academic independence.
China scored 15 out of 100 on the think tank’s freedom index, which puts it into the "not-free" category, and below countries such as Iran, Russia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The non-governmental organisation said the Chinese communist party has tightened its grip on various aspects of governance on the mainland as President Xi Jinping consolidates his power.
It warned that China was on a downward trend, reflecting "the chilling effect generated by cybersecurity and foreign NGO laws, increased internet surveillance, and lengthy prison sentences for human rights lawyers, activists, and religious believers".
Globally, the think tank said 2016 marked the 11th consecutive year of decline in freedoms around the world, with "populist and nationalist forces making significant gains in democratic states".
Of the 195 countries assessed, 87 were rated "free", 59 "partly free", and the remaining quarter "not free".
In the latest annual report by Freedom House, published on Wednesday, Hong Kong was again rated as "partly free", though its overall score for political rights and civil liberties dipped from 63 to 61 out of 100.
The report said "Beijing's encroachment on freedoms in the territory" is reflected in, among other things, its recent interpretation of the Basic Law aimed at barring independence advocates from the legislature.
It also cited the detention by mainland authorities of five booksellers from a Causeway Bay book store, and said there were setbacks for both journalistic and academic independence.
China scored 15 out of 100 on the think tank’s freedom index, which puts it into the "not-free" category, and below countries such as Iran, Russia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The non-governmental organisation said the Chinese communist party has tightened its grip on various aspects of governance on the mainland as President Xi Jinping consolidates his power.
It warned that China was on a downward trend, reflecting "the chilling effect generated by cybersecurity and foreign NGO laws, increased internet surveillance, and lengthy prison sentences for human rights lawyers, activists, and religious believers".
Globally, the think tank said 2016 marked the 11th consecutive year of decline in freedoms around the world, with "populist and nationalist forces making significant gains in democratic states".
Of the 195 countries assessed, 87 were rated "free", 59 "partly free", and the remaining quarter "not free".
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1311008-20170201.htm
