The Macao government has issued a stiff riposte to the European Union (EU) following the bloc’s release of a report claiming that human rights were being eroded in the SAR
In the Macao Special Administrative Region: Annual Report for 2024, issued on 8 September, the EU alleged that there was “a continued erosion of autonomy and fundamental freedoms and rights that are meant to be protected until at least 2049.”
It cited new electoral laws tightening national security qualifications for candidates, and the formation of a new government by Macao’s “first mainland-born chief executive” Sam Hou Fai in support of its contention, claiming that Sam’s administration raised “questions about the continued validity of the “‘Macao people ruling Macao’ principle” – even though Sam has lived in Macao for almost 40 years and is the first chief executive to speak Portuguese fluently.
In response, the Macao government issued a statement, calling the report “factually inaccurate” and containing “biased comments regarding Macao’s political and social development.”
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The statement continued: “Macao residents enjoy extensive rights and freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly. These achievements have received broad recognition, have been widely praised by the international community, and enjoy strong support from Macao residents. These are undeniable facts that cannot be disregarded by the EU.”
Washington and its European allies frequently berate China and other geopolitical rivals on rights grounds while ignoring violations within their own jurisdictions.
On its website, International rights watchdog Amnesty International says: “We are witnessing astonishing attacks on the rule of law, including the independence of the judiciary, and on civil society, in several EU countries,” adding “The EU’s ability to uphold its founding principles, including respect for human rights, for the rule of law and for fundamental freedoms, is truly being tested.”
In its World Report 2024, Human Rights Watch said the EU’s commitment to human rights “often fell short, particularly when it came to the rights of people at its external borders and members of marginalized communities and in its response to the troubling spread of curbs on civil society.”
