A Hong Kong-based center that collects information on human rights abuses in mainland China has removed all the articles that have appeared on its website over the past 18 years, fearing they may violate the national security law.

Lu Siqing, founder of the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, wrote on its website on Friday that he decided to erase the material after attending the High Court hearing into the 47 pro-democracy activists charged with subversion under the national security law. He concluded that many political speeches made in Hong Kong and other posted items may violate the law.

Lu thus removed all articles on the website from 2003 to March 3 this year, except for two local newspaper editorials published 10 years ago, which he could not delete for technical issues. He had already shredded all paper records related to politics, he added.

The center, run solely by Lu, was well known for its huge collections of information and news articles relating to human rights and activism in China. Its information was often cited by local and international media.

Lu, originally from Hunan province, was first arrested on the mainland in 1981 for calling for freedom of speech, and again in 1989 for holding marches to support China’s pro-democracy movement. He fled to Hong Kong in 1993 and received political asylum.

Lu was considered a “foreign hostile element” by China, according to an April 2000 Chinese court ruling that he provided to Agence France-Presse in August 2001.

Lu explained his recent decision in articles published on March 8 and 9. He said he went to the court to listen to the national security law case because there was no other way to understand the details of the new law, enacted on June 30 last year.

Under article 10 of the national security law, Hong Kong must promote national security education in schools and universities and through social organizations, the media, the internet and other means, to raise awareness among Hongkongers of national security and the obligation to abide by the law.

Lu said that his center, as a social organization, is unable to approach any authoritative institution to learn what may constitute a violation of the law. But judging from the bail conditions imposed on activist defendants in court, it seems that people can break the law by saying or doing anything that may harm national security directly or indirectly on any public platform, Lu added.

He concluded that he had no choice but to erase and reformat the center’s computer storage disk, remove all emails as well as messages on the social media apps WhatsApp and Telegram, and shred all paper records related to politics, Lu said. He stressed that he has not given any interviews over the past 15 years, and that only one photo of him has been published in the press, in 2006, despite his request not to print it.

Apple Daily has reached out to Lu but has not received a reply.

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