The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Saturday strongly opposed the harboring of criminals in any form by any country, adding that this interference shows contempt for the rule of law.

In a statement, the HKSAR government emphasized that any suggestion that certain individuals or organizations should be immune from the legal consequences of their illegal acts is no different from advocating a special privilege to break the law.

“Any country that harbors Hong Kong criminals in any form shows contempt for the rule of law, grossly disrespects Hong Kong's legal systems and barbarically interferes in the affairs of Hong Kong,” said a spokesman for the HKSAR government.

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“Turning a blind eye to the offenses committed by the criminals and disregarding the potential security threats posed to the local community and residents, they shall eventually bear the consequences of what they have done.”

The spokesman said that, after the “black-clad violence” and the Hong Kong version of “color revolution” in 2019, a number of criminals who committed serious offenses endangering national security absconded.

“Among them, some even forged documents and deceived the court with false information in order to obtain the court's permission to leave Hong Kong while on bail, and jumped bail to evade legal responsibilities,” he said, adding that they continued to blatantly engage in acts endangering national security.

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"Absconders should not think they can evade criminal liability by absconding from Hong Kong. Ultimately, they will be held liable for their acts constituting serious offenses endangering national security and be punished by the law," he said.

The spokesman stressed that any arrest and prosecution in Hong Kong is directed against criminal acts and has nothing to do with the political stance or background of defendants.

“Arrest and prosecution are based on facts and evidence, and conducted in strict accordance with the law,” he said, adding that Hong Kong has an independent judiciary and defendants receive a fair and just trial.