Hong Kong toughens its repressive arsenal with a new security law, the UN says it is “deeply troubled”

The text complements the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020, in response to large pro-democracy demonstrations.

Hong Kong’s local parliament unanimously voted on Tuesday March 19 for a new national security law. It provides for life imprisonment for offenses such as treason or insurrection, and arouses concern among Westerners.“Today is a historic moment for Hong Kong,” declared the territory’s leader, John Lee, specifying that the law would come into force on March 23.

The text adopted by the Legislative Council complements the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 to strengthen its hold on this territory, after the major demonstrations the previous year in favor of democracy in Hong Kong.

A text debated in an accelerated manner

The new law lists five categories of offenses in addition to those punishable by the 2020 text: treason, insurrection, espionage and theft of state secrets, sabotage endangering national security, sedition and the“external interference”.

The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union as well as the business community and human rights defenders had expressed concern about a law which will further restrict freedoms in Hong Kong, and had asked lawmakers to take more time to consider the consequences.

But Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, which does not have an opposition representative, debated the text in an accelerated manner, and its 89 members approved the law, called “Article 23”, unanimously.

The international community is concerned

The UN said on Tuesday “deeply disturbed” by the ambiguities of a text adopted according to her in a “precipitation” alarming. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, highlighted, in a press release, vague provisions which “could lead to the criminalization of a wide range of conduct protected by international law (…), including freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and the right to receive and transmit information.

The United States is “alarmed by these far-reaching measures” And “imprecise”which will potentially “accelerate the closure of the once open Hong Kong company”, according to Vedant Patel, spokesperson for the State Department. The NGO Amnesty International called “all those who can exercise influence in Hong Kong”whether governments, businesses, the United Nations or the European Union, “intensify pressure on the territorial authorities so that they respect human rights”.