The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today strongly condemned and rejected the report on Hong Kong's academic freedom published by the so-called Human Rights Watch and Hong Kong Democracy Council, noting that its content is all malicious smears and sweeping remarks.

In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government said the fundamental rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents have all along been guaranteed at the constitutional level by the Basic Law and added that the laws of Hong Kong to safeguard national security attach special importance to human rights.

The Hong Kong National Security Law (HKNSL) and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO) have clearly stipulated that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security in the city and that the rights and freedoms its residents enjoy under the Basic Law and the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights as applied to Hong Kong shall be protected in accordance with the law, the statement said.

Any measures or enforcement actions taken under the relevant laws must observe this principle, it added.

After the implementation of the HKNSL, Hong Kong residents continue to enjoy various rights and freedoms, including the freedom of academic research, literary and artistic creation and other cultural activities, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of association.

According to Article 137 of the Basic Law, educational institutions of all kinds may retain their autonomy and enjoy academic freedom. Hong Kong residents can exercise their freedom of expression legitimately, including criticising government policies or decisions made by officials.

The offences stipulated in the NSL and the SNSO clearly define their elements, penalties, exceptions and defences. These laws actively prevent, suppress and punish acts and activities that endanger national security, in accordance with the principle of the rule of law.

Additionally, they target an extremely small minority of people and organisations that pose a threat to national security, while protecting the lives and property of the public. Law-abiding people including students, scholars, and other academics will not engage in acts and activities that endanger national security and will not unwittingly violate the law, and have no reason to be worried.

The Hong Kong SAR Government has noticed that most of the interviewees of the so-called report have used pseudonyms, a tactic frequently adopted by anti-China forces, making it difficult to ascertain if the interviewees truly exist. The authenticity and credibility of the report is questionable.

As regards the report containing fabricated content and irresponsible remarks that academic freedom has declined in Hong Kong, the statement said that academic freedom is an important social value treasured in Hong Kong and the cornerstone of its higher education sector.

The Hong Kong SAR Government attaches great importance to upholding academic freedom and institutional autonomy, which are both enshrined in the Basic Law. These safeguards are clear and specific, and their effectiveness has never changed.

Since the implementation of the NSL, academics or post-secondary education institutions in Hong Kong continue to conduct normal exchange activities between their foreign or external counterparts.

National security is essential for the prosperity and stability of society, as well as for its people to live and work in peace and contentment, and without security and stability, there is no way to talk about anything, the statement noted.

It also recalled the painful experiences Hong Kong endured in 2019, including the riots in campuses that severely disrupted normal teaching and academic research.

The HKNSL and SNSO complement each other, providing a strong framework for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong. This allows all sectors, especially higher education, to flourish in a safe and stable environment, enabling scholars and students to pursue their studies and research in a stable, secure, and inclusive setting, the statement added.