Legislation
Hong Kong National Security Law, 2020
Beijing imposed sweeping security legislation on Hong Kong, leading to widespread arrests and the closure of pro-democracy organisations and publications.
What happened
On 30 June 2020, China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong, criminalizing broadly defined acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion; hundreds were arrested, pro-democracy publications closed, and youth political parties including Demosistō disbanded or became inactive.[1]
In March 2024, Hong Kong's own legislature enacted further national-security legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law.[2]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: On 30 June 2020, the government of China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong by bypassing the territory's own legislature, criminalizing acts it defined broadly as secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces. Effects reported by 2024 included hundreds of arrests of activists and journalists, the closure of pro-democracy publications such as Apple Daily, the departure of large numbers of journalists from the territory, and the disbanding or inactivity of youth-oriented political parties including Demosistō.
- Hong Kong's Freedoms: What China Promised and How It's Cracking Down (Council on Foreign Relations) link, 30 June 2020 National Security Law section. Source record
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2.
Claim: In March 2024, Hong Kong's legislature enacted its own additional national-security legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law, broadening definitions of offences such as espionage and "external interference"; this has been described as further extending Beijing's legal control over the territory and creating a chilling effect on international business and professional activity there.
- Hong Kong's Freedoms: What China Promised and How It's Cracking Down (Council on Foreign Relations) link, Article 23 (March 2024) section. Source record