China reportedly may create new detention centers for those who breach secretive Hong Kong security law

Hong Kong skyline.
(Image credit: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Details are slowly emerging about what potentially could be in Hong Kong's forthcoming national security law, but the full draft reportedly won't be revealed to the public until after it's passed by China's legislature, which is a foregone conclusion.

It's clear the law aims to crack down on crimes of secession, terrorism, subversion, and collusion with foreign countries and institutions that Beijing believes could threaten China's national security. But Hong Kong's opposition movement has been left in the dark about what specific cases will be illegal and what kind of penalties should be expected, which has many people in the autonomous city worried that Beijing's new measure will severely curtail their freedom despite promises to the contrary.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.