Life imprisonment, jury-less trials among key elements in China's sweeping Hong Kong security law

Hong Kong national security law.
(Image credit: Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images)

The full details of China's new national security law aimed at Hong Kong are out, and the early consensus is that it's as worrisome for the city's autonomy as feared, if not more so.

The released draft lacks an English-language companion, but several journalists independently translated the articles. As expected, the bill targets people who participate in or plan activities considered to be secessionist, state subversion, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces, all of which are defined fairly broadly. Participants will face a sentence of three to 10 years, while orchestrators face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

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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.