Hong Kong officials announce new national security law

HONG KONG — Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously approved a new national security law Tuesday that grants the government more power to quash dissent, widely seen as the latest step in a sweeping political crackdown triggered by pro-democracy protests in 2019.

The legislature passed the Safeguarding National Security Bill during a special session. The law will expand authorities’ ability to prosecute citizens for offenses including “colluding with external forces” to commit illegal acts as well as charge them with treason, insurrection, espionage and disclosing state secrets, among others.

It comes on top of a similar security law Beijing imposed in 2020, which has already largely silenced opposition voices in the financial hub.

Critics worry that the new law will further erode civil liberties that Beijing promised to preserve for 50 years when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, packed with Beijing loyalists following an electoral overhaul, rushed the law through to approval. Since the bill was unveiled on March 8, a committee held daily meetings for a week after an appeal by Hong Kong leader John Lee to push the law through “at full speed.” After the vote, Lee said the law would take effect Saturday.

“Today is a historic moment for Hong Kong,” he said.

The newly approved 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 offenses, including the possession of seditious publications, could also lead to several years in jail. Some provisions allow criminal prosecutions for acts committed anywhere in the world.

Legislative Council President Andrew Leung said in the morning that he believed all lawmakers were honored to have taken part in this “historic mission.”

Council presidents usually opt not to take part in such votes. However, this time, Leung cast his ballot to mark the occasion.

John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong, said the process reflected the city’s “disabled accountability system, weakened by design.”

He said lawmakers examined the bill in detail and the government adopted some amendments proposed by legislators.

However, Burns said during the debate, many lawmakers focused on ways to expand the state’s reach over national security issues and increase penalties for related crimes. He added that executive authorities were happy to oblige them.

“For those who care about accountable government, the process is disappointing, but not surprising, given the centrally imposed changes since 2020,” Burns said.

Simon Young, a professor at the University of Hong Kong’s law faculty, said the legislature did more than “rubber-stamping” the law, noting that officials attended lengthy meetings to clarify and amend the bill. But Young said that in the past, lawmakers might have sought experts’ input.

“It is regrettable that this was not done on this occasion,” he said.

Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong said Tuesday that the legislation signaled that a strong “firewall” has been built for the city’s stability and prosperity, allowing it to focus on promoting economic development and improving people’s livelihood. Lee also said other countries had passed laws to address risks when needed.

The new law includes tough penalties for people convicted of endangering national security for some offenses if they’re found to be working with foreign governments or organizations as opposed to acting on their own.

For example, it targets those who damage public infrastructure with the intent to endanger the state and could be jailed for 20 years, or, if they colluded with external forces, for life. In 2019, protesters occupied Hong Kong’s airport and vandalized railway stations.

Businesspeople and journalists have expressed fears that such a broad law will affect their day-to-day work.

Observers are closely watching to see if authorities will extend enforcement to other professional sectors and how it will affect Hong Kong residents’ liberties.