Hong Kong, Mar 8 (EFE).- The Hong Kong government introduced a national security draft bill in the Legislative Council on Friday, proposing life imprisonment for offenses like treason and insurrection, raising concerns about the erosion of freedoms in the Chinese-autonomous region.
The special session of the city’s parliament commenced with the publication of the extensive draft bill spread over some 212 pages, proposing harsher punishments for theft of state secrets, espionage, sabotage, and external interference.
Lawmakers are expected to thoroughly examine and debate the contents and provisions of the proposed law during the session.
The city’s constitution empowers the regional parliament to enact regulations to address the gaps in the national security law imposed by Beijing in June 2020, a year after widespread anti-government protests.
The city’s constitution authorizes the regional parliament to enact regulations to address the gaps in the national security law imposed by Beijing in June 2020, a year after widespread anti-government protests.
The new bill outlines a range of offenses that carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
These include treason, insurrection, incitement of a member of the Chinese armed forces to mutiny, and collusion with external forces to damage or weaken public infrastructure, thereby endangering national security.
Penalties for sedition, currently addressed under a colonial-era law, will be increased from two years to seven. Additionally, the law will encompass inciting hatred against the Chinese Communist Party and the country’s socialist system of governance.
Police will now have the authority to detain suspects for up to two weeks before charging them, compared to the current duration of 48 hours.
Hong Kong initiated the process of enacting domestic legislation on Jan. 30, when Chief Executive John Lee opened a four-week public consultation period that generated over 13,000 proposals, nearly 98 percent of which expressed support, according to the government.
In a statement on Thursday, Chief executive Lee urged lawmakers to “complete the legislative process at full speed” to enable the territory to move forward.
“The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region should complete the legislation for safeguarding national security stipulated in the Basic Law as soon as possible,” he said.
“The earlier the better. Completing the legislative work even one day earlier means we can more effectively safeguard national security one day earlier.”
On the territorial front, Article 23 has been met with little opposition, although the pro-democracy organization, the League of Social Democrats, has expressed concern about its potential negative impact on guarantees of freedoms in the city.
Last attempted in Hong Kong in 2003, estimates suggest that around half a million people took to the streets in opposition to Article 23, defending democratic values.
The proposal has raised concerns in the European Union and countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. EFE
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