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  • Asia: The new agony of Hong Kong, a city scared of its future

The phrase most shared by various Hong Kong activist Telegram groups is from a 2005 film: "This is how freedom dies, with thunderous applause." Specifically, it is said by the character of Padme Amidala in Episode III of Star Wars. But these words can be rescued from many scenes in our history every time an authoritarian regime has crushed the liberties of a people after a great ovation.

The Star Wars phrase is also the one that Hong Kong political activist Glacier Kwong wrote on Telegram 40 days ago from Germany. China's National People's Congress had just passed a controversial security law for Hong Kong. There was a thunderous applause at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. "It is the end of our political status, of our autonomy. We will be yet another city in China," said Glacier pessimistically.

This legislation had yet to pass into the hands of the Standing Committee, the highest legislative body, to give it shape before applying it. Today, after a three-day session, the Chinese Parliament unanimously approved a resolution that will introduce penalties for crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces in Hong Kong. In addition, the news comes a day before 23 years have passed since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule. It is expected to take effect tomorrow.

Few concrete details have transcended these weeks of the draft law. Only a small group of Chinese MPs know all the content. Since Beijing they have defended that this new law will not erode the democratic liberties of the city. "Only terrorists and separatists will be the target to fight," says Hong Kong's second-highest-ranking official, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung. Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang also defended during the National Assembly last May that the law "is designed to safeguard the status of 'one country, two systems' rather than abandon it."

Although critics of the Chinese regime, international lawmakers and Hong Kong protesters, it is clear that this is going to end Hong Kong's autonomy from Mainland China. A measure that could end the city's semi-liberties system.

Resignation of pro-democratic leaders

Minutes after news broke that China had ratified the law, several of Hong Kong's most popular pro-democracy leaders have announced their resignation. This is the case of Joshua Wong, general secretary of the Demosisto party and one of the best-known faces of the protests that bathed the city in 2019.

"[The law] marks the end of Hong Kong that the world knew before. From now on, Hong Kong enters a new era of reign of terror, just like the White Terror of Taiwan, with arbitrary prosecutions, black jails, secret trials, forced confessions, media repressions and political censorship, "Wong has written on his social networks. "With broad powers and ill-defined laws, the city will become a secret police state. Protesters in Hong Kong now face high chances of being extradited to the Chinese courts to be tried and sentenced to life in prison."

Other Demosisto leaders such as Nathan Law and Agnes Chow, former student leaders and both party founders like Wong, have also announced their withdrawal. "With this law, political figures will be more at risk and it is difficult to predict their safety. But the struggle of the Hong Kong people will not cease and will continue with constant resistance , " Law wrote on Twitter. After the departure of their leaders, from Demosisto, a formation that was born in 2016, they have announced the dissolution of the party.

From Beijing, the state agency Xinhua says the law "clearly describes" the four prohibited acts (secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion) that endanger national security. And Hong Kong's only representative to Beijing's main legislative body, Tam Yiu-chung, has pointed out that the move could also allow extraditions to the mainland. An issue that was precisely what sparked the wave of protests in the former colony just over a year ago.

China has been surprised by the speed with which it has imposed this law. Among the features that have transpired is that Beijing will establish a national security office in Hong Kong to "supervise, guide and support" the city government. It will also serve to send "criminals" to Mainland China for trial. Something that for many means that the Chinese authorities will be able to arrest the pro-democracy activists and take them to Beijing . In addition, Hong Kong will have to establish its own national security commission to enforce the laws, with an adviser appointed by Beijing.

The South China Morning Post has also revealed these days, according to its sources, that people convicted of national security crimes could face life in prison. "Controversial national legislation would carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, contrary to previous indications of a 10-year prison term," this newspaper says.

International rejection of the law

The international response against this law has been forceful from the beginning. More than 200 lawmakers from 24 countries signed an open letter in opposition in May. United States President Donald Trump has just revoked Hong Kong's special status for commercial and economic purposes. A severe blow to the economy of one of the world's financial centers. Something to which China has responded by imposing visa restrictions on Americans residing in Hong Kong.

The truth is that the second world power so far has not had any significant ally in its new policy towards the former British colony. The leaders of the European Union have expressed "grave concerns" about the possible threat to fundamental rights and freedoms. Lawmakers in the European Parliament warned that China was violating its international commitments and proposed bringing China before the International Court of Justice.

From the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has argued that this law "would reduce Hong Kong's freedoms and dramatically erode its autonomy." Johnson further promised to provide a path to British citizenship for millions of Hong Kong people, something that angered Beijing.

On Monday Amnesty International released a statement warning that the new law threatens to make Hong Kong "a police state." They affirm that "without measures that guarantee the protection of human rights, the national security law will place any person in the city at risk of arbitrary arrest and unfair trial." In the words of Joshua Rosenzweig, director of Amnesty International's China Team: "Hong Kong is on the brink of the precipice , with an uncertain and haunting future and its freedoms threatened by national security legislation that could nullify the laws it currently protects to the city's population from the worst excesses of the state-sponsored repression. "

From the Asian giant, the head of the Hong Kong Executive, Carrie Lam, has defended this week that the central government "had no choice but to act" after the political unrest last year, and that Hong Kong had a "constitutional duty "to defend the sovereignty of China. He denies that the law infringes on the basic rights of citizens, stating that it will not undermine the city's "judicial independence and high degree of autonomy".

State tabloids such as the Global Times, which writes according to Communist Party guidelines, are launching reflections on the law for the Chinese public to buy the story line: "Some Hong Kong independence and secessionist leaders, who are expected to face charges for the next law, they began to flee to other countries or leave their political sphere in recent days, "they say in an article.

Following the passage of the resolution, the Global Times has also been quite forceful in its editorial: "The national security law for Hong Kong will definitely become a new starting point for the city, but the struggles will continue. Chinese society, including Hong Kong society, must be prepared to support law enforcement after its passage, to punish some fanatics who have vowed to jeopardize national security, and to fight some tough battles against state interference United".

A large pro-democrat rally was scheduled for Wednesday, on the anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China from the United Kingdom, which was banned by police on Saturday. The reason was that concentrations of more than 50 people are not allowed due to the risk of contagion of the coronavirus. It is the first time in 17 years that this massive march has been prohibited. Although Hong Kong protesters are clear that nothing will prevent them from taking to the streets to protest a law that they believe will end the old Hong Kong that everyone knew.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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