Culture Society, Identity and Belonging
All 89 members of Hong Kong’s rubber-stamp legislature approved a new national security law yesterday that expands on the 2020 version imposed by Beijing. The legislation, known as Article 23, passed extremely quickly: it was presented to lawmakers on 8 March and will come into force on Saturday, punishing offences including the theft of state secrets, treason, sabotage and external interference with maximum sentences of life imprisonment. Human Rights Watch says it takes the city into “a new era of authoritarianism”. But the risks for international businesses and Hong Kongers should be obvious by now. Six miles away from the Legislative Council, a key prosecution witness took the stand yesterday in the trial of Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-closed but formerly independent Apple Daily newspaper. Andy Li’s evidence, according to a UN special rapporteur, could have been obtained through torture. Lai is charged with “conspiracy to publish seditious publications”, also known as speaking truth to power.