Hong Kong marks the 23rd anniversary of its handover to China on Wednesday under the glare of a new national security law imposed by Beijing, with ...
Critics and western governments fear Hong Kong's security law will stifle freedoms in the semi-autonomous city. HONG KONG: Hong Kong marks the 23rd anniversary of its handover to China on Wednesday under the glare of a new national security law imposed by Beijing, with protests banned and the city's cherished freedoms looking increasingly fragile.
But democracy advocates have used the date to hold large protests as popular anger towards Beijing's rule swells. For the first time since the ceremony began 17 years ago, authorities have banned the annual July 1 democracy march, citing fears of unrest and the coronavirus – although local transmissions have ceased.Ahead of the 1997 handover by Britain, China guaranteed Hong Kong civil liberties – as well as judicial and legislative autonomy – for 50 years in a deal known as"One Country, Two Systems".
The law was finally published on Tuesday night. It outlaws subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces to undermine national security with sentences up to life in prison.The new suite of powers radically restructures the relationship between Beijing and Hong Kong, toppling the legal firewall that has existed between the city's judiciary and the mainland's party-controlled courts.
But Beijing says the law will restore stability after a year of protests and will not end Hong Kong's freedoms.Popular anger towards Beijing exploded last year during seven consecutive months of huge and increasingly violent protests.
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