Hong Kong lawmakers pass new national security law, giving government more power to curb dissent

Hong Kong lawmakers pass new national security law, giving government more power to curb dissent

Subject: Economy

Section: Capital Market

Context:

• Hong Kong lawmakers 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.

More on news:

• The legislature passed the Safeguarding National Security Law during a special session on 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.
• Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, which is packed with Beijing loyalists following an electoral overhaul, expedited the process.

About the law:

• 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 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.
• It is also know as Article 23