Hong Kong begins public consultation to implement domestic national security law

By KANIS LEUNG and ZEN SOO
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong has begun public consultation on enacting its own national security law, beginning a process to implement the once-unpopular legislation. China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 and it has been used to suppress dissent and arrest many of the city’s leading pro-democracy activists. But the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, requires the city to enact its own national security law. City leader John Lee said Tuesday the law needed to be done as soon as possible because it is the city’s “constitutional responsibility.” Previous attempts to enact the legislation faced massive opposition, and critics say the legislation could be another tool to crack down on dissidents, further eroding freedoms.