He Legislative Council of Hong Kong approved the controversial project on Tuesday national security lawwhich will come into force on March 23, the head of the city administration said John Lee.

The said legislative process ended on Tuesday with a session Parliament city, where 89 legislators approved a bill aimed at addressing gaps in the National Security Law introduced Beijing in June 2020 after massive anti-government protests took place in the city in 2019.

The provisions contained in the so-called Article 23 The basic Law, raised concerns in European Union and in countries such as USA, UK and Australia, who expressed fears that a new rule added to Beijing’s national security law would further reduce rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.

The legislation was fast-tracked into law in just 11 days, the shortest time the bill has been considered in the city, despite critical voices warning that it could pose greater risks to civilian freedoms.

Critics see it as the latest step in a widespread political crackdown sparked by pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Hong Kong security chief Chris Tan compared the bill’s approval at third reading to carrying his “newborn child, which he has mixed feelings about after so many miscarriages.”

Tan highlighted the efforts of both the government and Parliament in promoting the new rules, but attributed its success mainly to “residents’ recognition of the importance of ensuring national security.”

Article 23 of the Basic Law requires the city to enact its own laws prohibiting any acts of treason, secession, rebellion, subversion of the central government or theft of state secrets, preventing foreign political organizations from operating in the city, and vetoing local governments. political groups that establish connections with their foreign counterparts.

The new legislation includes crimes that carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, including treason, insurrection, inciting a member of the Chinese armed forces to mutiny, and conspiring with external forces to damage or weaken public infrastructure in order to endanger the national infrastructure. safety.

During today’s legislative session, the head of the Security Service tried to clear up doubts about some of these crimes.

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Tang justified the punishment for sedition because “anti-China forces are inciting hatred and extolling violence to weaken the law-abiding consciousness of residents and sow the seeds of a color revolution.”

The government of the former British colony stressed the urgency of passing the law. National Security Decree in line with its constitutional obligation to implement local rules that address gaps in the national security law imposed by Beijing.

Parliamentarian Priscilla Leung He explained that “more clearly defined legal boundaries are needed to provide clarity” and that the city “must tell the world that this is a high quality standard, consistent with common law principles and in line with international standards.”

“Those who lived through the black-clad violence of 2019 know that without a comprehensive national security order, this city will become a lawless city,” he said.

Hong Kong began the process of enacting the law on Jan. 30 with a four-week public consultation period that received more than 13,000 suggestions and 98% support from citizens, according to the government.

The committee has met daily since the bill was introduced on March 8, following a call from Hong Kong’s leader to pass it “at full speed.”

At the territorial level, Article 23 was met with little resistance, although the pro-democracy organization League of Social Democrats expressed concern about the possible negative impact it could have on guarantees of freedoms in the city.

The last time Section 23 was attempted in Hong Kong in 2003, nearly half a million people took to the streets to protest the initiative and defend democratic values.

(EFE)