HONG KONG - Hong Kong’s Court of Appeal on Thursday ruled that a blanket government ban on face masks was unconstitutional, at a time when most Hong Kong people are wearing them in the hope of warding off the new coronavirus.
In October, during the height of anti-government protests, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam invoked colonial-era emergency powers for the first time in more than 50 years that allowed her to enact a new regulation banning face masks. Some democracy activists said the Thursday ruling created confusion and called on the government to repeal the law.
The law, It just for suppress who opinion difference.
The fallen of Hong Kong judicial system.
The anti-mask law is unconstitutional, It's just an excuse to eliminate dissents in Hong Kong
The adjudgment has granted the CE of Hong Kong unlimited power to establish any law without the needs of consulting the Legislative Council. This is totally unacceptable.
the decision to appeal the court’s previous rule of face mask ban as unconstitutional shows that the HKSAR govt cares more about political persecution than public safety
Even gov lose, HongkongPoliceTerrorism can create law by themselves because HongKongPolice have gun And HongKongPolice never arrest hongkongpoliceterrorists In PoliceState , they are above law Citizens don’t have right to sue HongKongPoliceTerrorists Is rule by law
And our gov asks our to wear a mask to prevent from ChinaVirus. I am so confused. Did our gov just ban us on doing what they have been promoting? Weird. HongKong
The court has become a tool for the government to suppress dissidents, more and more cases can prove that the court has been controlled by the government. Moreover, it is very serious that the police do not follow the guidelines use Legal provisions to enforce the law🤦
Hong Kong government has been using and hiding behind rule of law, to support their legitimacy, and to crack down on pro-democracy movement. They are evil representation of China’s tyranny.
The court ’s decision is not to take into account the reality, the police themselves interpret the law at random to enforce the law. And encourage the government to use the emergency law as a tool to suppress dissidents. In a severe epidemic, it also ignores public health😠🔥
Why on earth emergency law can be happen? Emergency power given to Chief executive is just like putting a crocodile in a pool of rabbits, she can do whatever she likes, even that is not good for ppl. What's next, kill all Hongkongers n change to mainlanders?
When a state head can issue emergency ordinance to crackdown public assembly to restrict the right to wear mask, it's nth more than a tryanny. Police can arrest arbitrarily & abuse arrestees w/o consequences by wearing mask to hide their identity while protestors can't. JUSTICE?
More accurately, the mask ban is ruled valid for 'illegal assemblies'. Given HKPolice's questionable judgment, even to some apolitical HongKonger, they should be worried becos they could be arrested for refusal to take off their masks under this WuhanVirus pandemic. Terrible.
It is very bad news to face coronavirus crisis. Also, it clearly shows the court is helping HongKong government to suppress freedom. It greatly hurts Hong Kong reputation nevertheless.
It happened more than once that the HK police used different reasons to reject peaceful rallies and assemblies, or that even approval was given, the police could suddenly announced that the rallies/assemblies were illegal 😑
No popularly elected gov't will bypass the legislature to pass an anti mask law to suppress protests in the 1st place No gov't w/ accountability will appeal -after the court ruled the law unconstitutional -during the Wuhanvirus pandemic Only in Hong Kong HKPoliceState
The ban on masks is totally unnecessary but become a tool for the evil HK police to oppress normal citizens! It’s ridiculous that the evil police can wear masks and hide their identity when carrying out their duties!
Mask ban judgement approves the CCP's Carrie Lam's tyrannt power. Such ruling lacks in rational behind check & balance. HK Court cannot uphold its role of democracy's universal value. Partly unconstitutional mask ban means only no Rule of Law and further erode of HK!
despite current situation, hk government insist risking people's life to enforce anti mask law juridical system is DEAD.
It's not about the anti-mask law. It's about that CCP's puppet can make law without following the legislation process. China have full control of Hong Kong now.
Puppet Hong Kong government headed by Carrie Lam is outrageous and disgusting. They cares for banning face masks for oppression and political persecution rather than human lives and public health amid the pandemic.
Thank you Reuters for your prompt follow up of Hong Kong amid the wuhanvirus. Yes, the rule says that masks are only banned in ‘unauthorised’ protests in Hong Kong, but the Police now claims every protest illegal after 30 minutes and starts to arrest citizens indiscriminately.
Yes, blanket ban is unconstitutional, while leaving certain ban constitutional for HK puppet govt to employ, which they will use it by all means as authoritarian govt love power without check and balance. HK is a police state, with all resources and devoted power to police.
When everyone is wearing a mask to fight WuhanVirus, Carrie Lam appeals for mask ban. She doesn’t care abt local and global public health. What she and CCP want is to suppress HK protest at all costs.
China has emprisioned most prominent discidents because of coronavirus