Carrie Lam assures UN rights body law will not be retroactive

The Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor told the United Nations Human Rights Council this afternoon that the national security law for Hong Kong would fill a “gaping hole” and would not undermine the SAR’s autonomy.

Lam said in a video message to the council that Hong Kong had been “traumatized by escalating violence fanned by external forces.”

She added: “No central government could turn a blind eye to such threats to sovereignty and national security.

“The legislation aims to prevent, curb and punish acts of secession, subversion of state power, terrorist activities… These crimes will be clearly defined in the law. We will only target an extremely small minority of people who have [broken] the law,” Lam said.

She also said the law will not be retrospective.-Photo: Reuters