Targeting freedom of speech

Hong Kong minister warns against criticism of new law

Until a few years ago, Hong Kong was regarded as a bastion of freedom of expression in China. When the former British crown colony was returned to China in 1997, Beijing promised to uphold the principle of "one country, two systems" for 50 years.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

Hong Kong's Secretary for Justice Paul Lam has warned that publishing and sharing criticism of the Chinese special administrative region's new security law on the internet could constitute a violation of the regulations that recently came into force. If someone shares a critical statement from another country or foreigner online, they could be committing a crime depending on their "intent and purpose", Lam said.

"An extreme scenario" could be someone posting such a critical statement from abroad "and adding some comments, making some additional remarks just to incite other residents to hate" Hong Kong and the Chinese central government, Lam said in a televised interview. In that case, he said, there was a risk of violating the new law.

According to Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee, the new security law enacted in Hong Kong is intended to close loopholes in a Beijing law. Beijing had passed a security law for Hong Kong in 2020 in response to the pro-democracy protests in the special administrative region. The law, which has been sharply criticized internationally, allows the authorities to crack down on all activities that they believe threaten China's national security - including draconian measures against critics.

Dozens of new criminal offenses
The new Hong Kong Security Law divides dozens of partly new criminal offenses into five categories: Treason, Insurrection, Theft of State Secrets and Espionage, Sabotage with Endangering National Security and Foreign Interference. Some offenses in these categories can be punished with life imprisonment.

According to the minister, the law will "allow Hong Kong to effectively prevent, prohibit and punish espionage activities, plots and traps by foreign intelligence agencies, infiltration and sabotage by hostile forces". He added that the law would also effectively prevent "black-clad violence and color revolutions" - alluding to the pro-democracy protests that began in 2019. Lee was subject to US sanctions for his involvement in the crackdown on the protests as the then head of security.

Until a few years ago, Hong Kong was considered a bastion of freedom of expression in China. When the former British crown colony was returned to China in 1997, Beijing promised to uphold the principle of "one country, two systems", which guaranteed the people numerous civil rights, for 50 years. This also cemented Hong Kong's status as a world-class economic center.