Hong Kong issues tough new security bill
Hong Kong on Friday (March 8) published its draft of a new national security law, a document some lawyers said broadened what could be considered sedition and state secrets, with tougher penalties for anyone convicted of those crimes and several others. - REUTERS
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00:00 Hong Kong's government on Friday unveiled its proposed national security bill, following
00:06 a month-long public consultation that ended last week.
00:10 The draft document sets out new laws encompassing treason, espionage and external interference.
00:16 Some lawyers said it broadened what could be considered sedition and state secrets,
00:20 with tougher penalties for those convicted.
00:23 City leaders want it to be passed quickly, potentially within weeks.
00:29 Foreign diplomats and businesses have been awaiting the draft, fearing it could further
00:33 dent freedoms in the financial hub.
00:36 A China-led crackdown on dissent has already sent many pro-democracy politicians and activists
00:42 into jail or exile.
00:43 Hong Kong and Chinese officials said the draft was similar to laws in some Western nations,
00:48 and that it was necessary to plug loopholes in the national security regime.
00:54 That regime was bolstered in 2020 by another law imposed directly by China, which at the
00:59 time said it was aimed at restoring stability after pro-democracy protests a year earlier.
01:05 Eric Lai is a fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law in Washington, D.C.
01:11 The most drastic changes of the legislative bill would be issues related to due process
01:17 and fair trials.
01:20 This gives anonymous power and discretion to the law enforcement to deny the rights
01:29 to access to lawyers of choice of arrestees.
01:35 This is also a problematic approach because, compared with other Western jurisdictions,
01:44 such extreme conditions could only be used against a terrorist or in very extreme conditions.
01:53 Hong Kong has long been a business, academic and media hub for China and the region.
01:58 But in recent years, critics say the rule of law and freedom of information have been
02:02 undermined.
02:04 The debate on the Hong Kong bill coincides with a move by China's top lawmakers to create
02:08 a slew of new national security laws in order to safeguard the mainland's sovereign interests.
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