Hong Kong legislature unanimously passes new national security law on Tuesday.
The package, known as Article 23, punishes treason, sabotage, sedition, the theft of state secrets and espionage with up to life imprisonment.
The Legislative Council stacked with pro-Beijing loyalists was first presented with the bill on March 8, following a month-long public consultation. Hong Kong’s leader John Lee called it a “historic moment for Hong Kong.” Authorities say the legislation – which will come into effect on March 23 – is necessary to plug loopholes in the national security regime despite the enactment of a sweeping China-imposed national security law that has been used to jail pro-democracy activists.Critics, including the US government, say the law will further narrow freedoms in the global financial hub, and could be used to “eliminate dissent through the fear of arrest and detention”.
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