Hong Kong Watch Briefing on Human Rights Developments: July 2025

This briefing describes developments in Hong Kong in July 2025 focusing on the rapid deterioration of human rights in the city following the imposition of the National Security Law and the passage of Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.

Click here to read the full briefing.

Executive Summary

In July, Hong Kong authorities intensified legal and institutional repression under the National Security Law. The government fast-tracked controversial prison rule amendments enabling restrictions on legal and clergy visits and broadening state surveillance inside detention facilities.

New arrests for minor acts of dissent and mass surveillance expansion reinforced concerns over the erosion of civil liberties.

Overseas, national security police issued HK$200,000 bounties against 15 individuals linked to the symbolic “Hong Kong Parliament,” sparking international condemnation. Meanwhile, the appeal trial of the 47 Democrats began, drawing criticism over judicial fairness.

A long-awaited bill proposing limited same-sex partnership rights entered LegCo, but faced backlash from pro-establishment lawmakers.

Cultural and civic space continued to shrink, with independent book fairs, concerts, and LGBTQ events cancelled amid vague accusations of “soft resistance.”

In the UK, transnational repression concerns grew as police reportedly asked a Hong Kong activist to self-censor, while the British government moved to amend its extradition law, raising fears among the diaspora.