On March 19th, the Hong Kong government passed a new national security law that has been criticised by several Western countries and rights groups The Safeguarding National Security law revises the existing regulations and penalties, and adds five new categories of offences — treason, insurrection, espionage and theft of state secrets, sabotaging national security, and external interference Some of these offences carry penalties of imprisonment, even up to life The law, also known as Article 23, was passed after a rushed public consultation What is Hong Kong’s Article 23? Article 23 of Hong Kong’s constitution, which came into force after Hong King was handed over to China from Britain in 1997, obliges the government to enact domestic national security legislation. In recent years, particularly in 2019, Hong Kong has witnessed a series of anti-government protests, following escalating tensions between the pro-Beijing ruling elite and pro-democracy civil society The protests were aimed against China’s alleged attempts to reduce Hong Kong’s autonomy. In 2020, the Chinese government imposed a separate national security law on Hong Kong, citing the city’s delay in acting on Article 23. That law was quickly used to further crush dissent and target figures of the pro-democracy movement. The Bill was introduced in the city’s Opposition-free legislature on March 8th for examination following a month-long public consultation. It was unanimously approved by lawmakers on March 19th. The Hong Kong government claimed that its public consultation showed 99% support for the proposals. What are the new offences and penalties under the new law? The legislation expands upon the 2020 Beijing-imposed security law, encompassing offences related to theft of state secrets, treason, insurrection, national security, and external influence. It includes prison sentences of up to life for treason, insurrection, sabotage by colluding with external forces to damage public infrastructure and inciting members of the Chinese military to mutiny. Further, it imposes 20 years of imprisonment for espionage and 10 years for the unlawful disclosure of state secrets and sedition. The law grants police the authority to detain suspects for up to 16 days without charge and includes a provision for closed-door trials Thank you for watching our video! You can subscribe to our channel here: https://bit.ly/3c8Adi6 Visit https://www.thehindu.com/ for the latest updates, analysis, opinions, and more. You can also download our apps: Android: https://bit.ly/3nboBEi iOs: https://apple.co/3EDCwt4 The Hindu is committed to keeping you up-to-date with information on the developments in India and the world. We promise to deliver quality journalism that stays away from vested interest and political propaganda. You can support us by subscribing to our digital offerings here: https://bit.ly/3emywiz Follow us: Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_hindu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_hindu/