Hong Kong's new national security law came into force, putting into immediate effect tough penalties of up to life imprisonment for crimes including treason and insurrection.
Hong Kong's new national security law came into force, putting into immediate effect tough penalties of up to life imprisonment for crimes including treason and insurrection.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on yesterday expressed"deep concern" that the law could be used to undermine rights and curb dissent, adding it could damage Hong Kong's reputation as an international finance hub. Mr Lee also said the law was necessary to"prevent black-clad violence", a reference to Hong Kong's massive and at times violent pro-democracy protests in 2019, which brought hundreds of thousands to the streets demanding greater autonomy from Beijing's grip.
Mr Lee is now empowered to create new offences carrying jail terms of up to seven years through subsidiary legislation, while the security minister can impose punitive measures on activists who are overseas, including cancelling their passports. Former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a press conference that the new law was an"alarming expansion of the Chinese Communist Party's assault on freedom in Hong Kong".
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