Photo: Collected
The Hong Kong Security Bureau has published the text of a revised draft law safeguarding national security, which determines penalties for espionage, theft of state secrets, mutiny and other crimes that were not specified in the law adopted in 2020.
"The Chief Executive in Council has approved ... the introduction of the Safeguarding National Security Bill (the Bill) into the Legislative Council (LegCo), to fully implement the constitutional duty as stipulated under Article 23 of the Basic Law," the security bureau said in a statement on Thursday.
Article 23 stipulates that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region "shall enact laws on its own to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion" and theft of state secrets against the Chinese government, the statement read. The law also prohibits foreign political organizations or bodies from conducting political activities and establishing ties with foreign political institutions in Hong Kong, the statement read.
If the bill is passed into law, espionage crimes will be punished with 20-year imprisonment, embezzlement of state secrets from three to 10-year incarceration, participation in the activities of prohibited organizations, "publicly expressing an intention to commit treason, concealing the fact of committing treason by others" — up to 14 years in prison, the statement read.
On January 30, Hong Kong launched a month-long public consultation to implement new security legislation under the region's Basic Law that obliges it to enact laws prohibiting treason, espionage and sabotage, the local government said. The city attempted to introduce these laws in 2003 but failed due to widespread protests.
Hong Kong was returned to China by the United Kingdom in 1997 and has since been enjoying wider autonomy than the rest of the Chinese regions. China's central government adheres to the principle of "one country, two systems" in governing Hong Kong. According to a joint declaration by China and the UK, Hong Kong will retain broad autonomy until 2047.
Messenger/Mahbub
