The Fugitive Offenders Ordinance provides sufficient protection to offenders of political crimes and such protection will be retained in the Government’s proposed amendments to the ordinance.  

Secretary for Security John Lee made the remarks after attending a radio programme today, adding there are at least three provisions in the existing law that clearly stipulate political offenders will not be surrendered no matter how their crimes are described.  

“There is a provision to say that no matter how you purport that offence to be, if it relates to political opinion, religion, nationality or ethnicity, then it will not be surrenderable.  

“There is also a third provision, which says that, if a person will be prejudiced at his trial, or in any way mistreated because of his political opinion, nationality, religion or ethnicity, then he will not be surrendered,” Mr Lee said.  

“For anybody who thinks that he may then become a political prisoner, I think the law sufficiently protects them,” he added.