A man passes by the East Wing Forecourt (the Forecourt) of the Central Government Offices (CGO), Tamar, Hong Kong, on Dec 28, 2017.  (PARKER ZHENG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Saturday condemned the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for smearing the HKSAR's laws on safeguarding national security with false accusations in its report on sentencing of protestors involved in the "black-clad violence" in 2019.

"Article 1 of the national security law in Hong Kong clearly stipulates the purpose of the enactment of the law is to ensure the resolute, full and faithful implementation of the policy of 'one country, two systems' under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy," a spokesperson for the HKSAR government pointed out in a statement, adding that the BBC report concerned completely disregarded the relevant provision and slandered the law with false accusations that it reduced Hong Kong's autonomy.

An HKSAR govt spokesperson said what the national security law in Hong Kong targets are people who conduct acts and activities endangering national security

It is necessary for the HKSAR government to set the record straight, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said what the national security law in Hong Kong targets are people who conduct acts and activities endangering national security. In fact, endangering national security is a very serious offence. No country will watch with folded arms acts and activities that endanger national security.

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The BBC report attempted to shift the focus with false accusations to mislead people into believing that the legislative intent of the law is to "make it easier to prosecute protesters," thereby creating a negative impression of the law, the spokesperson noted.

As a matter of fact, the Department of Justice (DoJ) of the HKSAR government, by virtue of Article 63 of the HKSAR Basic Law, controls criminal prosecutions, free from any interference. All prosecutorial decisions by the DoJ are based on admissible evidence, applicable laws and guidelines such as the Prosecution Code, the spokesperson said.

"Prosecutions would only be commenced if there is sufficient admissible evidence to support a reasonable prospect of conviction and if it is in the public interest to do so," the spokesperson stressed.

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The HKSAR government will continue to refute any smears against the laws on safeguarding national security to prevent members of the public from being misled, said the spokesperson.