New Delhi: Hong Kong initiated public consultation on a local National Security Law on Tuesday, marking a significant development more than three years after Beijing imposed a similar law that drastically curtailed dissent in the semi-autonomous city.
The proposed law could grant the government broader powers to prosecute residents for offenses such as collaborating with foreign forces to influence legislation or “publish misleading statements,” and to close down civil society organizations. Some provisions even extend the threat of criminal prosecution to acts committed globally, reported the Associated Press.
While Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, mandates the enactment of a national security law, decades of public opposition have delayed its implementation due to concerns over eroding civil liberties. In 2003, an attempt to pass the law sparked widespread street protests, with half a million people voicing their opposition, ultimately leading to the legislation being shelved.
However, the recent crackdown on political opposition in the city sets the stage for the bill to pass easily. Since 2020, numerous pro-democracy activists have been arrested, silenced, or compelled to flee the city. Many civil society groups have been disbanded, and outspoken media outlets like Apple Daily and Stand News have been forced to shut down, as per the AP report.
Although the draft text will be written based on input from the public consultation, the city unveiled a comprehensive 110-page document outlining its legislative intentions.
City leader John Lee called the legislation a “constitutional responsibility.” “We shouldn’t wait any longer,” he said during a news conference. “The threats to national security, they are real. We have experienced all these threats. We have suffered from them badly,” the AP report added.
Both the Hong Kong and Beijing governments have lauded the effectiveness of the previous National Security Law in restoring stability following the massive pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Lee said a local version is still necessary to keep Hong Kong safe against “potential sabotage” and “undercurrents that try to create troubles,” in particular surviving ideas about Hong Kong’s independence, AP reported.
He said other countries, including the U.S., U.K., and Singapore, have similar laws to safeguard security and Hong Kong would draw from them, reported AP.