US report: Macau gov’t intrudes freedom of expression
There were significant human rights issues in Macau in 2021, including an increase in censorship, according to a report issued by the United States (US) Department of State.
In the US’ 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: China (Includes Hong Kong, Macau, and Tibet) – Macau, it is said that Macau provides for freedom of expression, including for members of the press and other media. However, “government encroached upon this right.”
The US department stated the presence of credible reports of “substantial interference with the right of peaceful assembly; inability of citizens to change their government peacefully through free and fair elections; serious restrictions on political participation, including the disqualification of prodemocracy candidates in elections; and trafficking in persons” in Macau.
In the report’s Censorship or Content Restrictions category, the US recalled the Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng’s announcement that the government would uphold press freedom – yet the press must adhere to a “love of the motherland and love of Macau” principle.
However, in March, “public broadcaster TDM’s executive committee warned its English- and Portuguese-language reporters that they must toe the patriotic editorial line and promote ‘respect and love for mainland China’ in response to the CE’s announcement,” the report stated, citing a Macau-based academic.
As a consequence of the announcement, some 10 journalists resigned from the public state news station.
The report also recalled that civil rights advocates criticized the “seemingly arbitrary rules for restricting peaceful assembly,” noting that, in June, the SAR courts upheld a decision to disallow the annual public June 4 Tiananmen Square vigil.
“Unlike a similar case in 2020, when Covid-19 health restrictions were cited, the courts denied permission based on the conclusion that slogans and banners that were ‘provocative, defamatory, and contrary to the truth’ would slander the PRC government.”
The US mentioned the foreign worker from Burma who sent the SAR government a request to hold an assembly to protest the military coup in March. However, the government denied the request.
The Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak later defended the principle that “equal rights are not absolute for migrant workers,” citing the Article 43 of the Basic Law, which also confirms the Public Security Police Force’s (PSP) argument that non-resident workers (TNR) do not have freedom of political assembly in public places.
Staff Reporter
