Hong Kong: Beijing imposed a law last year, that curbs free speech in Hong Kong.
The Draconian Beijing-imposed national security law, introduced to smother dissent and free speech in Hong Kong, has completed one year on June 30, leaving the once British-controlled region in turmoil and chaos.
The law criminalizes any act of secession (breaking away from China), subversion (undermining the power or authority of the central government), terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, with punishments of up to life in prison.
According to CNN, the bill was drafted almost entirely in closed-door meetings, and even Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam was not part of those meetings. It came in effect from July 1, months after anti-government, pro-democracy protests that had infuriated the Chinese leadership, who saw them as an open challenge to their national sovereignty.
Though Chinese and Hong Kong leaders assured the public that the law would target a minority of individuals and not diminish freedoms in the semi-autonomous city, at least 117 people have been arrested and 64 charged as of June 27.
People have raised their concerns since the bill was introduced, as it could be used to crush the dissent. Many feel that their worst fears have been confirmed as China has tightened its grip on Hong Kong and subjected the city to its strict laws and censorship.
More recently, Hong Kong’s 26-year-old pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily shut its doors because of increasing government clampdown after the police arrested executives and most of its staff. The Hong Kong police also froze the newspaper’s bank accounts and threatened others with imprisonment.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian denied the raid had been an attack to press freedom, calling it a “just move” done in “strict accordance with the law.”
Public protests have been banned, and nearly all the city’s leading pro-democracy figures, including activists and politicians, have either been jailed or forced into exile. According to CNN, tens and thousands of residents have started moving to other nations, and the Draconian rule impacted the educational institutions.
Facing pressure from China, Hong Kong authorities have tried to pass a national security law before, most notably in 2003. However, they had backed down after mass protests. This was repeated once again when a bill was introduced that allowed extradition to China.
That unrest evolved into a massive pro-democracy, anti-government movement which at times grew violent. The city legislature was stormed, a university campus was held under siege for days, a man was set on fire and, another shot and critically injured by police. The protests greatly perturbed the Chinese government.
When the security law came into effect on July 1, hundreds turned out to protest, clashing with riot police who fired tear gas and rubber bullets, leading to the first arrests under the new law.
Soon after imposing the law, schools were ordered to remove textbooks that could violate the law, authorities set up a national security office allowing mainland Chinese agents to operate in the city for the first time, student activists were arrested for social media posts, and pro-democracy candidates were barred from standing in legislative elections on national security grounds, according to CNN.
This lead to international scorn from countries such as the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and more. While Washington revoked Hong Kong’s special trade status and implemented several sanctions, other countries suspended extradition treaties with Beijing.
On August 2020, 12 Hong Kong residents were arrested for attempting to reach Taiwan by boat, and detained on the mainland for months without access to lawyers. Several have since been released back to Hong Kong, where at least one was charged under the security law.
The biggest blow came in November, when Beijing granted Hong Kong authorities the power to expel elected lawmakers for not being “loyal,” or refusing to acknowledge Beijing’s sovereignty. Following this, four lawmakers were immediately expelled, prompting all the remaining elected pro-democracy lawmakers to resign in protest.
In January this year, at least 53 former lawmakers and opposition activists were arrested for “subverting state power” as they took part in an unofficial primary election the previous summer, designed to field the strongest pro-democracy candidates in a legislative election that, in the end, never took place, ostensibly because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chinese central government also continued to restructure Hong Kong’s election framework, introducing a law in March that changed the composition of the city legislature to favor government-appointed or influenced seats.
Under the Draconian security law, websites have been blocked on national security grounds, and the film censorship guidelines revised to abide by the law. According to CNN, the annual book fair, which will be held this year in July, has warned that if any exhibits or materials are found to breach the security law, the police would be summoned.
Even as journalists and activists continue to be persecuted, Hong Kong leaders have come out to support the law.
“The aim is to maintain long-term stability and prosperity in Hong Kong,” said Carrie Lam, the city’s leader, several days after the Apple Daily raid. “The enforcement of the National Security Law and its implementation is to maintain national security.”
One year after the law, Hong Kong looks very different from the rebellious city of protest it had been for decades.
With Hong Kong increasingly being brought under Chinese rule, many residents are looking overseas.
The threat of arrests and asset freezes has also thrown into question Hong Kong’s viability as a base for international businesses. Some firms have reduced their presence in Hong Kong because of political pressure.
It would be safe to say that under-tightening Chinese control, Hong Kong’s future appears to be bleak.
(ANI)
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