The Department of Justice today published “Annotations of the Hong Kong National Security Law and sedition offences in the Crimes Ordinance”, which collates and summarises court cases relating to the National Security Law and sections 9 and 10 of the Crimes Ordinance, on its website.

The department said the annotations aim to promote a better understanding of the National Security Law and the crime of sedition among all sectors of the community, and to raise public awareness of national security.

Highlighting that all judicial decisions in national security cases are made public in an open and transparent manner, the department added that it had prepared case summaries of these decisions and compiled a compendium of annotations to serve as a convenient tool for promoting national security education and conducting legal research on national security laws.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said: “This body of case law helps us understand the requirements of our national security laws and how they are being applied by the courts.”

In addition, the department today also uploaded “Basic Law: Selected Drafting Materials & Significant Cases” to its website for public access. This publication includes selected drafting materials, details of cases relating to the Basic Law, and interpretations of the Basic Law made by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on the Basic Law.

By providing a more complete record of the Basic Law’s formulation and implementation, the department believes the publication can help the community to acquire a correct understanding of the relationship between the Constitution and the Basic Law.