Child porn laws 'could threaten political rights' Law Society voices 'major concerns' over bill.

(From South China Morning Post)

Byline: Niall Fraser

New legislation intended to outlaw the possession of child pornography could open the door to political material being banned, the Law Society has warned.

But Security Bureau officials drafting the Prevention of Child Pornography bill have dismissed the society's "major concerns", insisting "a ban on the possession of child pornography must not be confused with a ban on the possession of political material". Possessing images of sexually abused children is not an offence in Hong Kong.

This year the lack of laws was highlighted when the Sunday Morning Post revealed that police were powerless to act after a highly sensitive list of names was handed to them by Interpol. It detailed Hong Kong people who had allegedly used their credit cards to access images of abused children on the internet.

The Hong Kong list forms part of a worldwide inquiry, which began in the United States in the late 1990s and has identified 75,000 people who have used credit cards to access child porn.

Several people were arrested as a result of the investigation, including musician Pete Townshend, the lead guitarist of legendary rock band the Who.