The government said on Sunday it firmly rejects what it calls the “scandalising of the criminal justice process” by a European Union spokesman who criticised the jailing of three people who refused to hand over information for a national security probe.

The statement followed a tweet by the spokesperson for the EU’s foreign policy chief, who said Saturday’s jailing of three members of the now disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China was an abuse of legislation by the authorities here.

A government spokesman said: “As guaranteed by the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights, all defendants charged with a criminal offence have the right to and will undergo a fair trial by the judiciary.

“The courts decide cases strictly in accordance with the evidence and all applicable laws. Cases will never be handled any differently owing to the profession, political beliefs or background of the persons involved."

The spokesman added: ”Any person's attempt to undermine the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong by slandering the rule of law in Hong Kong will only expose his own weakness and faulty arguments and be doomed to fail.

“The HKSAR Government strongly urges the relevant EU official to immediately stop acting against the international law and basic norms of international relations, and interfering in the Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs at large.”

The trio sentenced on Saturday were Chow Hang-tung, the group's former vice-chairperson, and Tang Ngok-kwan and Tsui Hon-kwong, who were committee members.

They were each jailed for four and a half months for failing to provide information to the police for a national security investigation in 2021.