page_title: Human rights in Hong Kong
section_title: Freedom of assembly
hierarchical_section_title: Human rights in Hong Kong / Civil and political rights under domestic law / Freedom of assembly
caption_attribution_description: March for democracy in Hong Kong -- 1.13.2008
context_page_description: Human rights protection is enshrined in the Basic Law and its Bill of Rights Ordinance. By virtue of the Bill of Rights Ordinance and Basic Law Article 39, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is put into effect in Hong Kong. Any legislation that is inconsistent with the Basic Law can be set aside by the courts.
  In general, Hong Kong is perceived to enjoy a high level of civil liberties. The Hong Kong government generally respects the human rights of the citizens, although many core issues remain. There are concerns over the freedoms to the people which is restricted by the Public Order Ordinance and the national security law. The police has been occasionally accused of using heavy-handed tactics towards protestors and questions are asked towards the extensive powers of the police. As to the right of privacy, covert surveillance remains the major concern. There is a lack of protection for homosexuals due to the absence of a sexual orientation discrimination law. There are also comments regarding a lack of protection for labour rights.
context_section_description: The freedom of assembly is protected under Article 27 of the Basic Law and Article 17 of the Bill of Rights.
  Article 17 of the Bill of Rights provides:
  The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognised. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.
  Although there are no official figures in the number of protests, an analysis of newspaper reports has shown that the reported number of protests increased from under 100 before 2000 to 210 in 2004, and stayed at aroundo 200 cases up to 2006, signalling the maturation of civil society. It has also been argued that the 1 July march in 2003, in which half-a-million residents took to the streets to protest the proposed national security bill and express strong general dissatisfaction with the government, halted the legislation of the proposed bill and allowed civil society to recognise its strength and potential in the policy-making process. The 1 July march is organised every year.
  On 10 August 2020, the Hong Kong Police arrested billionaire businessman Jimmy Lai for allegedly collaborating with foreign forces. The police raided Jimmy’s newspaper office. He is a prominent pro-government protestor. This is considered as the most high-profile arrest since the implementation of national security law. In February 2020, Jimmy was arrested on illegal assembly charges, but released on bail. Chinese state media, Global Times, reported that Jimmy Lai’s sons and two senior executives of Next Digital had also been arrested.
caption: A protest in Hong Kong
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