TOPLINE
Authorities in Hong Kong made the first arrests under the new controversial national security law Wednesday after thousands gathered for an annual pro-democracy rally to mark the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China 23 years ago.
A protester is detained by police during a rally against in Hong Kong Wednesday.
KEY FACTS
Police arrested 370 people Wednesday during the city’s largest protest in months in defiance of Covid-19 restrictions; of those arrests, 10 were reportedly arrested for breaking the new law, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The national security law, adopted Tuesday in Beijing, passed after the widespread protests in Hong Kong last year and allows authorities to crack down on dissenters with long jail sentences for charges that experts say are defined in vague terms that could allow for broad interpretation by China.
Critics of the new law say it effectively ends the autonomy of Hong Kong, which has existed under a "one country, two systems" agreement since the British gave Hong Kong back to China in 1997, which occurred 23 years ago from Wednesday.
The new law has been condemned globally; on Tuesday, U.S. Congress introduced a bipartisan bill that would give some Hong Kongers refugee status.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made an offer to allow the 3 million Hong Kong citizens eligible for a British overseas passport a pathway to citizenship.
China has defended the new law, saying it is essential to restore peace in Hong Kong and that it would not permit domestic policies to be swayed by foreign influence.
TANGENT
The new law has had a chilling effect on pro-democracy activism in Hong Kong. Several activist groups have already disbanded as a result of the new laws. According to the New York Times, a Hong Kong museum dedicated to preserving the memory of the 1989 massacre in Tienanmen Square is working to quickly digitize its collection in case authorities come to take their archive.
KEY BACKGROUND
The law lists charges like subversion, secession and terrorism as carrying punishments up to life in prison. Causing damage to public transportation, as was commonly seen during protests last year, could be grounds for a terrorism charge, according to the BBC. The law allows for more serious offenses to be extradited to China to be heard by Chinese courts, drawing comparisons to the extradition bill that kicked off the protests last year that was later withdrawn. China can even waive a trial by jury and restrict access to trials. It also permits Beijing to set up a new security agency in Hong Kong to keep an eye on the enforcement of the new law that is above judicial review or existing Hong Kong laws. The new law also applies to non-Hong Kong residents living abroad, which means foreigners found in violation could be arrested as soon as they step foot in Hong Kong according to the BBC.
FURTHER READING
China Passes Controversial Hong Kong Security Law Meant To Quell Protests (Forbes)
