Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously approve security law giving government more power to curb dissent

By KANIS LEUNG
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s lawmakers unanimously passed a new national security law that grants the government more power to quash dissent in the southern Chinese city. The legislation passed Tuesday is widely seen as the latest step in a sweeping political crackdown that followed pro-democracy protests in 2019 and comes on top of a similar law imposed by Beijing four years ago that has already largely silenced opposition voices in the financial hub. Critics worry the new law will further erode the city’s civil liberties while businesspeople and journalists have expressed fears that such a broad law will affect their day-to-day work.