Lord Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, has called for a United Nations special envoy to be appointed to defend human rights in the city amid a growing international outcry against China’s move to impose a controversial national security law intended to crush dissent.
“The establishment of an international contact group to coordinate a global response would be a positive way forward,” said Lord Patten on Friday.
“Moreover, the creation of a UN special envoy for Hong Kong would contribute both to monitoring human rights and encouraging dialogue and reconciliation. Many UN member states would see it as a constructive proposal worthy of support,” he added.
Beijing’s rubberstamp parliament on Thursday approved the law which will tighten its control of Hong Kong by criminalising separatism, subversion, terrorism, foreign interference and “acts” of that threaten national security.
Western nations and legal experts fear it will end Hong Kong’s special autonomy, and effectively railroad the “one country, two systems” principle underpinning the binding agreement that governed the UK’s handover of the city to China in 1997, ensuring its freedoms and way of life until 2047.
“China’s decision to impose the new national security law on Hong Kong lies in direct conflict with its international obligations under the principles of the legally-binding, UN-registered Sino-British Joint Declaration,” Dominic Raab, the UK foreign secretary said this week in a joint statement with his Australian, Canadian and US counterparts.
On Thursday, Mr Raab stepped up the pressure on China further by pledging to change the status of Hong Kong’s British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders to allow them to come to the UK for longer than 6 months, creating a “pathway to future citizenship.”
China’s foreign ministry lashed out with the threat of “counter measures” on Friday if the UK moved forward with the plan.
The foreign ministry also condemned the UK for meddling in Hong Kong, claiming it was butting into what are “purely China’s internal affairs, and no outside interference is allowed.” Beijing has before accused the UK for failing to shed its colonial mindset by thinking it could still influence Hong Kong matters.
Lord Patten was backed in his calls for the intervention of a UN special envoy by Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, Director of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, who said it was “vitally important that the United Nations acts with urgency.”
She added: “A UN Special Envoy could prevent this crisis escalating beyond control. We are reaching a point from which there might be no return and the only body with the authority to act as mediator is the UN.”
London-based advocacy group Hong Kong Watch this week coordinated a joint letter of close to 700 parliamentarians and dignitaries from 36 countries in opposition to the national security law. Signatories included Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury and Samantha Power the former US ambassador to the UN.
Benedict Rogers, the group’s chair, said a UN envoy could help “prevent a terrible disaster unfolding” in Hong Kong.
“As we approach the anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, the world must do everything possible to help de-escalate the situation, protect human rights and prevent a similar tragedy recurring in Hong Kong,” he said.
Dr Darren Mann, a Hong Kong-based British surgeon who has provided humanitarian assistance on the frontline of the often-violent protests that have rocked the city since last June, added his voice to the calls.
Earlier this year, he instigated an investigation by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention into the alleged police harassment, intimidation and arrest of frontline medics during the city’s pro-democracy protests.
“China’s heedless imposition of a National Security Law on Hong Kong will further escalate tensions in the community and likely lead to greater outbursts of public anger and civil rights protest,” he said.
“Clearly it is time for the Secretary-General of the United Nations to appoint a Special Envoy to Hong Kong as the risk of large-scale bloodshed on the streets has never been greater.”