Hong Kong Police Arrest 6 People Accused Of Violating The City's New National Security Law

The introduction of the new security law in March — four years after Beijing imposed a similar law that had all but wiped out public dissent — has deepened worries about the erosion of the city's freedoms

AP
The introduction of the new security law in March — four years after Beijing imposed a similar law that had all but wiped out public dissent | Photo: AP
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The statement did not include other details on the social media page or the content of the posts, and it did not identify the six people, aged between 37 and 65, who were arrested.

The introduction of the new security law in March — four years after Beijing imposed a similar law that had all but wiped out public dissent — has deepened worries about the erosion of the city's freedoms.

The new law, known locally as “Article 23,” has expanded the government's power to deal with future challenges to its rule, punishing treason and insurrection with up to life imprisonment.

Under the legislation, offenders who commit sedition offenses face harsher penalties than before. They face a maximum jail term of seven years if convicted for committing seditious acts or uttering seditious words — up from the previous maximum sentence of two years.

Authorities raided the homes of five of the suspects and seized items including electronic devices that officers suspect were used to publish the seditious messages, police said.

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