Hong Kong Security Bureau Photo:Weibo

Any accusation that the national security law for Hong Kong erodes freedom is completely inconsistent with the facts, Hong Kong Security Bureau told the Global Times on Tuesday, after Amnesty International said it will close its Hong Kong offices by the end of this year citing pressure from the law.

The Security Bureau reiterated that the national security law for Hong Kong stipulates that the maintenance of national security in Hong Kong should respect and protect human rights, which also protects the rights of residents in accordance with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights including the freedom of the press, speech and assembly.

In Hong Kong, any organization must comply with the law including the national security law for Hong Kong, the bureau said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Tuesday.

The comment came after Amnesty International announced on Monday it will close its offices in Hong Kong by the end of the year, according to media reports. Anjhula Mya Singh Bais, chair of Amnesty's international board, was quoted as saying in media reports that the decision "has been driven by Hong Kong's national security law which has made it effectively impossible for human rights organizations in Hong Kong to work freely and without fear of serious reprisals from the government." 

Law enforcement agencies take actions based on evidence, strictly in accordance with the law, and based on the actions of relevant people or units, which have nothing to do with political stance, background or occupation, the bureau said.