Hong Kong’s new national security bill includes stiff penalties and more power to suppress dissent

By KANIS LEUNG and ZEN SOO
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong has proposed a law that threatens life imprisonment for residents who “endanger national security.” The bill unveiled Friday is deepening worries about erosion of the city’s freedoms four years after Beijing imposed a similar law that all but wiped out public dissent. It’s widely seen as the latest step in a crackdown on political opposition that began after the semi-autonomous Chinese city was rocked by violent pro-democracy protests in 2019. Hong Kong leader John Lee has urged legislators to push the Safeguarding National Security Bill through “at full speed,” and lawmakers began debate hours after the bill was released publicly.