HONG KONG: Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously passed a new national security law on Tuesday that grants the government more power to quash dissent, widely seen as the latest step in a sweeping political crackdown that was triggered by pro-democracy protests in 2019.
The legislature passed the Safeguarding National Security Bill during a special session that lasted Tuesday. It comes on top of a similar law imposed by Beijing four years ago, which has already largely silenced opposition voices in the financial hub.
The package, known as Article 23, punishes treason, sabotage, sedition, the theft of state secrets and espionage with up to life imprisonment. Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, which is packed with Beijing loyalists following an electoral overhaul, expedited the process. Since the bill was unveiled on March 8, a committee held daily meetings for a week, following an appeal by Hong Kong leader John Lee to push the law through “at full speed”.
The law threatens stringent penalties for a wide range of actions authorities call threats to national security, with the most severe including treason and insurrection punishable by life imprisonment. Lesser offences, including possession of seditious material, could also lead to jail. Some provisions allow criminal prosecutions for acts committed anywhere in the world.