Hong Kong aims to impose stricter regulations on prison visits for national security reasons.

On Monday, Hong Kong officials introduced a proposal to legislators aimed at strengthening prison regulations to limit visits from lawyers, religious figures, and medical professionals for national security reasons, a step that opponents argue would further diminish the rights of inmates.

In a document presented to the legislature, the Security Bureau stated that there were cases of prison visits being exploited under the guise of “humanitarian relief” to sway prisoners and to “stir their animosity” towards the Chinese and Hong Kong governments.

According to the proposal, the Correctional Services Department (CSD) could request a magistrates’ warrant allowing it to restrict or set conditions on inmate interactions with certain lawyers and doctors. Hong Kong’s Basic Law, or mini-constitution, establishes legal professional privilege to protect confidential legal counsel between attorneys and their clients, even in court and prison, as well as the right to select a lawyer.

But Security Secretary Chris Tang told lawmakers that while prisoners don’t lose all their rights, “the rights they enjoy are not the same as those of people not in prison, and the time they can exercise these rights and freedoms must be limited by the need to maintain national security, discipline and order.”

In 2020, China enacted a national security law in the former British territory, penalizing actions such as subversion with potential life sentences after widespread pro-democracy demonstrations took place in 2019.

The continuous suppression of dissent, featuring the implementation of stringent new national security laws to detain pro-democracy activists and dissolve civil society organizations, has attracted criticism from nations such as the U.S. and the U.K. Hong Kong and Chinese officials assert that the regulations have created stability and order.

Imprisoned pro-democracy campaigner Owen Chow and his attorney were found guilty last year of breaching prison regulations after his attorney removed a complaint form from the prison without permission.

A seasoned attorney, speaking anonymously because of the delicate nature of the issue, informed Reuters that this initiative “broadens the authority” of officials regarding individuals charged with national security crimes. Derek Chu, the creator of the prison rights organization “Waiting Bird,” informed that it would silence people like barrister and activist Chow Hang Tung, who continues to speak out even while incarcerated.

Chow and her mother Medina were part of eight individuals detained for sedition under the Article 23 national security laws implemented last year, accused of utilizing a Facebook page to “promote hatred” towards the governments of China and Hong Kong.

According to Article 23, the police chief may request a magistrate’s warrant to prevent suspects detained for purported national security offenses from having access to legal counsel. The existing proposal can be enacted directly by the government, and subsequently reviewed by the legislature.