THE Hong Kong government has proposed legislation that would allow the city’s leader to designate certain criminal acts as national security offences, stepping up its efforts to stamp out challenges to its rules in the city.
After massive democracy protests rocked the Asian financial hub in 2019, Beijing imposed a national security law.
The city’s government in 2024 enacted another security law, targeting other crimes such as espionage and disclosing state secrets.
In a document submitted to the legislature yesterday, the Security Bureau and the Department of Justice proposed the subsidiary legislation to state clearly the classification mechanism for the term about “other offences endangering national security under the law” of Hong Kong.
They said if the chief executive issues a certificate to ascertain that the act in a criminal offence case involves national security, then the case would fall into that category.
If a suspect is charged with a national security offence, but also faces an alternative charge for the same act, then that alternative charge will also be considered as an offence endangering national security, they said.
“Amid the present complicated geopolitical landscape, national security risks still exist.
“Stating clearly the above mechanism by way of subsidiary legislation can improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for Hong Kong to safeguard national security,” they said in the document.
The legislation is meant to refine details of procedural matters and bring greater certainty to the implementation of certain provisions, the authorities said.
“The subsidiary legislation does not involve the creation of any new criminal offence, penalty or enforcement power,” they said.
The government said the city should complete the legislative process “as soon as possible” and that it will finalise the proposed legislation after listening to the views of lawmakers. — AP
