Man stands next to flag of “Hong Kong Independence” as people protest against new law
Hong Kong, China:
Hong Kong police make first arrest under Beijing’s new national security law as city hails anniversary of transfer to China with banned protests and increasingly cherished freedoms .
The commemorations came a day after China imposed a radical security law on the city, a landmark decision decried by many western governments as an unprecedented attack on the freedoms and autonomy of the financial center.
Police said a man carrying the Hong Kong independence flag was the first to be arrested under the new law, confirming that certain political views and symbols had become illegal overnight.
Opprobrium has flocked with critics and Western governments – led by the United States – fearing that the law will open a new era of continental-style political repression.
Under an agreement before the 1997 handover by Britain, authoritarian China guaranteed Hong Kong’s civil liberties as well as judicial and legislative autonomy until 2047 in an agreement known as ” One country, two systems. “
“(China) has promised 50 years of freedom to the people of Hong Kong and has given only 23,” said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, promising unspecified countermeasures.
But Beijing said foreign countries should remain silent about the law, while Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam hailed the legislation as “the most important development” since the city’s return to power.
Activists called on people to challenge the ban on demonstrations and to march on Hong Kong Island on Wednesday afternoon.
But it was unclear how many would be prepared to deal with the risks posed by the new law and increasingly aggressive police tactics toward peaceful rallies, even in recent months.
Meetings of more than 50 people are prohibited under anti-coronavirus laws even if local transmissions are completed.
Riot police quickly used pepper spray and made arrests when a few hundred people gathered in the Causeway Bay neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon.
– Floats and helicopters –
During a morning birthday ceremony, helicopters flew over Victoria Harbor with a large Chinese flag and a small Hong Kong pennant, while a barge appeared with a banner saying “Welcome to the enactment of National Security Law “in giant Chinese characters.
Small groups of Beijing supporters waved Chinese flags in several local areas without being disturbed by the police.
The anniversary of July 1 has long been a polarizing day in the city.
Beijing loyalists celebrate Hong Kong’s return to the Chinese homeland after a century and a half of what they see as a humiliating colonial rule over Britain.
Defenders of democracy took the opportunity to organize large rallies as popular anger at Beijing increased – although this year’s event was banned for the first time in 17 years.
During huge demonstrations for democracy last year, the city’s legislature was besieged and ransacked by protesters.
– Chinese jurisdiction and life sentences –
The “One Country, Two Systems” formula initially helped cement Hong Kong’s status as a world-class business center, supported by an independent judiciary and invisible political freedoms on the continent.
But critics have long accused Beijing of sabotaging this status and describe the new security law as the most shameless decision to date.
It was passed in just six weeks, bypassing the surging Hong Kong legislature, and the precise wording was kept secret until it went into effect on Tuesday evening.
It prohibits subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces to undermine national security, with sentences of up to life in prison.
It also overturns the legal firewall that existed between the city’s judicial system and the courts controlled by the continent’s parties.
China will have jurisdiction over “serious” cases and its security agencies will also be able to operate publicly in the city for the first time.
Another provision also claims universal jurisdiction for national security crimes committed beyond Hong Kong or China.
More than two dozen countries – including Britain, France, Germany and Japan – have urged Beijing to reconsider the law, saying in a statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council that it carries attack on the liberties of the city.
Canada, meanwhile, updated a travel advisory for Hong Kong citizens on Wednesday, warning them that they are at increased risk of arbitrary detention or even extradition to China.
In Taiwan, authorities have opened a new office to care for Hong Kong seekers.
Beijing says the law will restore stability after a year of pro-democracy protests and will not end Hong Kong’s freedoms.
But critics have little confidence in these assurances given the way similar national security laws are commonly used on the continent to crush dissent.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
