After one month of public input, Hong Kong on Friday revealed a new draft security bill that calls for life in jail for crimes like treason and insurrection.
The statement stated that “the means taken to endanger national security can come in many different forms, and the threat can emerge all of a sudden.” It also stated that legislative work must be done as quickly as possible in order to “guard against national security risks.”
Before becoming legislation, the idea must pass multiple rounds of debate and scrutiny by politicians.
China’s Ministry of National Security stressed in its official WeChat account on Monday that the draft legislation is required for Hong Kong to carry out its constitutional assignment to protect national security.
Four years ago, Beijing implemented a contentious law that put an end to protest and resulted in the detention of several pro-democracy activists from Hong Kong. The 2020 national security law in China seeks to outlaw subversion, secession etc.
