Hong Kong leader defends removal of politically sensitive books in public libraries
The Hindu
Hong Kong’s leader said the city’s public libraries would not recommend books featuring “bad ideologies” to residents, further shrinking the city’s freedoms.
Hong Kong's leader said on May 18 the city's public libraries would not recommend books featuring “bad ideologies" to residents after they pulled titles related to the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and certain political figures, further shrinking the city's freedoms.
Chief Executive John Lee was addressing a lawmaker's question about dozens of books in public libraries that were taken down without a clear explanation. Those include publications about the bloody crackdown and others written by pro-democracy politicians and political commentators.
Hong Kong is a former British Colony that returned to China’s rule in 1997, promising to retain its Western-style freedoms. But the city's cultural and creative sectors said the city's freedoms have shrunk since Beijing imposed a tough national security law following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Critics said the book pulling would further undermine Hong Kong's reputation for having free access to information and freedom of expression.
But Mr. Lee defended the sweeping law at the legislature, saying Hong Kong's freedoms are protected by the city's constitution.
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