Political situation
Written by: Zhou Lixi
2020-07-24 12:27
Last update date: 2020-07-24 12:27The third wave of new coronary pneumonia in Hong Kong continued, with 118 confirmed cases added yesterday. Since July 20, the Correctional Services Department has suspended official visits by members on the grounds of "reducing the flow of people entering the penal institutions, thereby avoiding the influx of immunities into the institutions."
Legislative Council members from the social welfare sector Shao Jiazhen, Labour Party Zhang Chaoxiong and Zhu Kaidi initiated a joint signature yesterday (23) to request the Department to approve "video official visits." So far, 145 Legislative Council members and district councillors who have made official visits have participated.
Shao Jiazhen (pictured), a member of the social welfare sector of the Legislative Council, initiated a joint signature requesting the department to approve "video official visits." (Photo by Ou Jiale)
The joint letter stated to the Commissioner of Correctional Services, Hu Yingming, that the legislators and district councillors who had made official visits were extremely dissatisfied with the CSD’s use of the epidemic to suppress the arrangements for official visits by members and the exploitation of the basic rights of persons in custody. .
The letter stated that they understand that under the epidemic situation, it is necessary to protect the health of persons in custody and correctional personnel, but they must also balance the public powers of public officials in performing their duties and the rights of persons in custody to meet with members of parliamentary complaints. The institute changed to "video official visits" to allow official visits to continue. Request your department to respond in writing immediately.
Shao Jiazhen, Labour Party Zhang Chaoxiong and New Territories West Zhu Kaidi sent a letter to the Correctional Services Department for the first time on July 21, stating that the suspension of official visits would hinder members from performing their public duties and deprive persons in custody of their right to seek help from members. The official visit proposal under the epidemic situation was not answered by the department at that time, so they initiated a joint letter including other members.
As of yesterday, a total of 145 congressmen participated in the joint signing, including 15 pan-democratic legislators. For the time being, only Lin Cheuk Ting from the Democratic Party has signed the joint signing. Leung Yiu-chung, who had followed up on the issue of juvenile offenders at the time of the return, has not participated. As for district councillors, district councillors from different parties and camps within the democratic camp have joined.
Director of Correctional Services Hu Yingming (Photo/Photo by Li Zetong)
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