Hong Kong proposes new security bill with life imprisonment for ‘treason’ and ‘insurrection’ 

Hong
Kong
on
Friday
unveiled
a
new
draft
security
bill
proposing
up
to
life
imprisonment
for
offences
such
as
insurrection
and
treason
following
a
month
of
public
consultation
period
for
the
bill.

Crimes
that
will
incur
up
to
a
maximum
penalty
of
life
imprisonment
include
treason,
insurrection,
the
incitement
of
a
member
of
Chinese
armed
forces
to
mutiny,
as
well
as
colluding
with
external
forces
to
damage
or
weaken
public
infrastructure
to
endanger
national
security.

The
draft
Article
23
also
proposed
20
years
of
prison
sentence
for
espionage
and
10
years
for
offences
related
to
state
secrets. 

Hong
Kong’s
Chief
Executive
John
Lee

on
Thursday
urged
the
need
to
pass
the
law
“as
soon
as
possible”
amid
an
“increasingly
complex”
geopolitics
backdrop.

According

to
a
government
statement,
98.6%
of
views
showed
support
for
the
bill
during
the
public
consultation.

“The
means
taken
to
endanger
national
security
can
come
in
many
different
forms
and
the
threat
can
emerge
all
of
a
sudden,”

the
statement
read,
adding
that
the
sooner
the
legislative
work
is
completed,
the
faster
they
can
“guard
against
national
security
risks.”

The
proposal
will
need
to
be
scrutinized
by
lawmakers
through
several
rounds
of
debate
before
it
becomes
law.

The
draft
legislation
is
necessary
for
Hong
Kong
to
fulfil
its
constitutional
duty
to
safeguard
national
security,
China’s
Ministry
of
National
Security
emphasized
in
its
official
WeChat
account
on
Monday.

Beijing

imposed
a
controversial
law
four
years
ago,
which
stamped
out
dissent
and
led
to
the
arrest
of
many
Hong
Kong
pro-democracy
activists.
China’s
2020
national
security
law

aimed
at
prohibiting
secession,
subversion
of
state
power,
terrorism
activities
and
foreign
interference. 

The

U.S.
State
Department
in
late
February
expressed
concerns
about
Hong
Kong’s
Article
23,
and
how
it
could
be
used
to
“eliminate
dissent
through
the
fear
of
arrest
and
detention.”