Hong Kong received 52 points out of 100 and was deemed only “partly free” in the latest annual report by Freedom House, marking the lowest score the city has ever received from the organization.

The non-profit organization based in the United States said that Hong Kong’s freedoms and autonomy have been “sharply reduced in recent years amid growing political intervention from the mainland.” The change happened amid the 15th consecutive year of decline in global freedom, as the international balance shifts in favor of tyranny, the group added.

Hong Kong scored three fewer points compared to the previous year. In the report published Wednesday, Freedom House gave the city 15 points out of 40 for political rights and 37 out of 60 for civil liberties.

Hong Kong’s national security law was cited as the main reason for the lower score.

“The central government’s imposition of the National Security Law in June erased almost overnight many of Hong Kong’s remaining liberties, bringing it into closer alignment with the system on the mainland,” Freedom House said. “These developments reflect a dramatic increase in the cost of opposing the CCP in Hong Kong and the narrowing of possibilities for turning back the authoritarian tide.”

Multiple provisions of the legislation “undermined defendants’ rights” in the judicial system. These provisions included allowing the chief executive to assign judges to national security law cases, a presumption against granting bail as well as Beijing’s ability to take over certain cases.

Authorities have also used the national security law to disqualify and arrest opposition politicians, and the introduction of mainland security agencies into Hong Kong has led to “a marked increase in self-censorship,” the report read.

The latest report, titled “Democracy Under Siege,” also called out the Chinese Communist Party for being the “world’s most populous dictatorship” and said that its malign influence was especially profound in 2020.

Aside from its domestic efforts of political repression, China also gained clout in multilateral institutions, pushed for an agenda that allowed human rights abuses to go unpunished and promoted the formation of autocratic alliances, Freedom House said.

Taiwan, meanwhile, received the highest score among Asia polities, with Freedom House praising its government for bringing COVID-19 under control while “avoiding any abusive restrictions.”

Click here for Chinese version

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play