TNAG-2487-FCO40-3618-Future-relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1992 — Page 204

COUNTDOWN TO 1997

-

A REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF JURISTS (ICJ)

ON HONG KONG

BRIEFING AND SUMMARY

The ICJ

The ICJ is

a

to

non-governmental organisation

organisation devoted promoting throughout the world the understanding and observance of the Rule of Law and the legal protection of human rights.

Its headquarters is in Geneva. It has national sections and affiliated legal organisations in 75 countries.

The ICJ regularly sends missions to countries throughout the world to report on human rights issues.

The Mission to Hong Kong

The sending of an ICJ mission to Hong Kong was originally proposed by the Australian Section of the ICJ and was approved by the Executive Committee of the ICJ. In April 1991, the following were appointed to be the members of the Mission:

(Chairman) Sir William Goodhart QC

(Chairman of

of the Executive

British Section of the ICJ)

Y M Raja Aziz Addruse

Committee of JUSTICE,

the

(Former President of the Malaysian Bar Council)

The Hon John Dowd AO QC

(Chairman of the Australian Section of the ICJ; former Attorney General of New South Wales)

Prof Hans-Heiner Kuehne

(Professor of Law, University of Trier, Germany).

The members of the Mission visited Hong Kong for ten days in June 1991, during which they held discussions with members of the government and representatives of the legal profession, the press, the business community, human rights organisations, political parties and other groups. The Mission was, however, unable to obtain any co-operation from anyone directly or indirectly representing the People's Republic of China. Report was approved for publication by the Executive Committee in January 1992.

The