Hong Kong’s government told the UN Human Rights Council in a report on Wednesday that Hong Kong has taken a “major turn from chaos to governance” since the implementation of the National Security Law. The report was published by the Hong Kong government after three weeks of public consultation in June.

According to the report, the National Security Law ended violence in Hong Kong and allowed Hong Kong to enter a stage of stability and prosperity. In addition, the report said that rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents have also been protected more effectively in a safer environment. The report also stated that courts in Hong Kong uphold the rule of law and that Hong Kong protects the freedoms of the press and expressions of its residents.

The National Security Law was imposed by Beijing in June 2020 after a controversial extradition bill fueled the 2019 Hong Kong protests. On July 27, 2022, the UN Human Rights Committee called upon Hong Kong to withdraw the National Security Law. It stated that the committee is “deeply concerned about the overly broad interpretation of [the] Hong Kong National Security Law…which was passed by the National People’s Congress of China without consultation with the Hong [Kong] public.” In response, the Hong Kong government said on the same day:

[W]e are completely dismayed that the Committee continues to express unsubstantiated criticisms towards [Hong Kong] despite the delegation’s efforts in addressing members’ concerns and clarifying the misunderstandings of the human rights situation in [Hong Kong] … The Committee has also raised a number of concerns and recommendations without giving due weight to the unique circumstances of Hong Kong which were explained by the delegation time and again[.]

The Hong Kong government also urged the UN committee to consider the National Security Law in light of the 2019 Hong Kong protests that preceded its implementation. The government also highlighted that the law has “effectively restored stability and security” in Hong Kong.

At least 265 individuals aged between 15 and 90 have been arrested under the National Security Law since its implementation. On Thursday, Hong Kong’s Department of Justice published Annotations of the Hong Kong National Security Law and sedition offences in the Crimes Ordinance, which summarizes cases in relation to the National Security Law and sedition offenses. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said that individuals and institutions in Hong Kong are obliged to abide by the National Security Law and local laws. He also said that summaries of National Security Law cases “serve as a convenient and practical tool for promoting national security education and conducting legal research on the national security laws.”