Refusing to comply could lead to year in jail and hefty fine, while
providing false information carries up to three years in prison
Hong Kong police can now demand that people
suspected of breaching the city’s national security law provide mobile
phone or computer passwords in a further crackdown on dissent.
The
amendments to the law also empower customs officers to seize items that
are deemed to have “seditious intention”, regardless of whether any
person has been arrested for an offence endangering national security
because of the items.
Refusing
to comply could lead to up to one year’s jail and a fine of up to
HK$100,000 ($12,773), while providing false or misleading information
could bring up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to
HK$500,000.
The city government on Monday
published the amendments to the national security law imposed by Beijing
in 2020, using powers to bypass Hong Kong’s legislature. Officials will brief lawmakers on Tuesday, a government statement said.
The sweeping law punishes acts, including subversion and collusion with foreign forces, with up to life imprisonment.
The law
sparked criticism from western governments and rights groups but
Beijing and Hong Kong officials said it was needed to restore stability
after the city was rocked by months of pro-democracy protests in 2019.
The
amendments empower police to require a person under investigation
suspected of endangering national security to provide any password or
decryption method for electronic devices and to give the police “any
reasonable and necessary information or assistance”.
Urania
Chiu, a law lecturer in the UK researching Hong Kong, said the new
provisions interfered with fundamental liberties, including the privacy
of communication and the right to a fair trial.
Chiu
said: “The sweeping powers given to law enforcement officers without
any need for judicial authorisation are grossly disproportionate to any
legitimate aim the bylaw purports to achieve.”
A
Hong Kong government spokesperson said the amended rules conformed to
the city’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, and its human rights
provisions, and “will not affect the lives of the general public or the
normal operation of institutions and organisations”.
According
to the Security Bureau, a total of 386 people have been arrested for
national security crimes so far, with 176 people and four companies
convicted. The Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai
was sentenced to a 20-year jail term in February for collusion with
foreign forces and sedition, sparking international criticism.
Source:theguardian
Coming to a colony (e.g. Australia), near you? Why not? We're half way there anyway!
Keeping in mind that Australia is a totalitarian state, and NOT a (purported) democracy.
