Cudgels taken up again

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: ‘AN OMINOUS MOMENT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS’

Legislation to ban treason, subversion and sedition.

Pro-democracy campaigners in Hong Kong have vowed to take to the streets in protest over what they said was China’s fiercest assault on the city’s treasured autonomy with its move to impose a security law.

The proposal for the legislation – expected to ban treason, subversion and sedition – was introduced into China’s rubber-stamp parliament at the opening of its annual session yesterday.

It followed repeated warnings from China’s communist leaders they would no longer tolerate dissent in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous city that endured seven months of massive pro-democracy protests last year.

“This is the largest nuclear weapon the Chinese Communist

Party has used in its mutual destruction of Hong Kong,” Jimmy Sham, leader of the Civil Human Rights Front, which organised the million-person rally that kicked off last year’s unrest.

Sham appealed for millions to again take to the streets, while other activists used internet threads and chat apps to call for protests tomorrow. Prominent democracy activist Joshua Wong said on Twitter China’s message to protesters was clear: “Beijing is attempting to silence Hongkongers’ critical voices with force and fear. HKers will not scare off in the face of wolf warrior policy.” Amnesty International warned the legislation posed “a quasi-existential threat to the rule of law in Hong Kong”, and said it was “an ominous moment for human rights in the city”. While China put forward its proposal as vital to reinforcing stability in the global financial hub, Hong Kong’s share market plunged with a drop of more than 5% in afternoon trade.

Hong Kong has been allowed a limited form of autonomy since returning from British to Chinese rule in 1997, with those unique freedoms enshrined under a “One Country, Two Systems” handover agreement.

However, a huge pro-democracy movement has built in the face of fears China has been steadily eroding those freedoms.

The law was aimed at quashing the democracy movement.

“We must take powerful measures to lawfully prevent, stop and punish them,” vice-chair of the National People’s Congress’ Standing Committee Wang Chen said.

Beijing is attempting to silence [us] with force and fear