Hong Kong passes tough new security law

What happened

Hong Kong on Tuesday passed a new national security law, Article 23, that gives the government broad powers to suppress all forms of dissent.

Who said what

Article 23 is needed to guard against "potential sabotage and undercurrents that try to create troubles," particularly "ideas of an independent Hong Kong," said the territory's Beijing-backed leader, John Lee. "Today is a historic moment for Hong Kong." The law will "usher Hong Kong into a new era of authoritarianism," said a statement from Human Rights Watch's Maya Wang.

The commentary

Beijing "promised to preserve Hong Kong's civil liberties for 50 years" when the former British colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997, said Al Jazeera. In the past few years, those liberties have been steadily chipped away.

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What next?

The new law takes effect on Saturday, immediately introducing stringent penalties for a wide range of actions deemed to be a threat to national security. The most severe charges — including treason and insurrection — are punishable by life in prison.