Hong Kong’s lawmakers met in a special session to resume debate on a proposed national security law Tuesday, paving the way to grant the government more power to quash dissent in the southern Chinese city.
Police officers stand guard outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Hong Kong's lawmakers met in a special session to resume debate on a proposed national security law Tuesday, paving the way to grant the government more power to quash dissent in the southern Chinese city. The legislation is widely seen as the latest step in a sweeping political crackdown that followed pro-democracy protests in 2019.
“I fully agree with what the Chief Executive said: the sooner the legislation is completed, the sooner national security will be safeguarded,” he said. Many leading activists have been prosecuted, while others sought refuge abroad. Influential pro-democracy media such as Apple Daily and Stand News were shuttered. The crackdown prompted an exodus of disillusioned young professionals and middle-class families to the U.S., Britain, Canada, and Taiwan.
Officials insist the new security law balances security with safeguarding rights and freedoms. The city government said it's necessary to prevent a recurrence of the protests, and that it would only affect “an extremely small minority” of disloyal residents.
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