The National People’s Assembly (APN), China’s highest legislative body, today approved, by majority, the controversial proposal for a Hong Kong national security law, which sparked a new wave of protests in the semi-autonomous region. .
The bill was passed during the close of the annual session of the Chinese legislature, whose nearly 3,000 delegates are mostly members of the Communist Party of China (CCP), the only party in power in the Asian country.
The text remains in the hands of an APN Legal Committee, which will be responsible for writing a final version that must be ratified by the Standing Committee of the legislative body.
The law prohibits “any act of treason, separation, rebellion, subversion against the Central People’s Government, theft of state secrets, the organization of activities in Hong Kong by foreign political organizations and the establishment of links with foreign political organizations by of Hong Kong political organizations “.
Article 23 of the Basic Law, the Hong Kong mini-constitution, stipulates that the city should proceed with legislation in this regard, but this has proved difficult, given the resistance of the Hong Kong population, who fear a reduction in their freedoms.
In mainland China, courts often resort to national security law, including accusations such as “separatism” or “subversion of state power”, to arrest dissidents or activists, who defy the rule of the Chinese Communist Party.
