Fifth Anniversary of National Security Law
Since China’s government imposed the National Security Law on Hong Kong on June 30, 2020, “Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have harshly punished critics of the government, created a highly repressive national security regime, and enforced ideological controls on the city’s residents,” according to Human Rights Watch.
On the fifth anniversary of the law’s introduction, the rights organization said that since 2020, 326 people have been arrested for national security offenses, while 187 people and five companies have been charged. National security trials have an almost 100% conviction rate.
Chinese Embassy in London: Space for Intelligence Officers
Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith has warned that the proposed new Chinese embassy in London could become a hub for transnational repression after reports that the embassy could involve a large space for intelligence officers. “Everywhere there is a mega embassy,” Duncan Smith said, “Chinese state-sponsored, transnational repression of those who have fled the Chinese state or who criticize it grows dramatically.”
A U.S. security source told The Mail on Sunday that a space labeled a “cultural interests/exchange” in planning documents is a “euphemism for intelligence and security service,” adding: “It’s where they often stuff their security and intelligence staff, among other diplomats.”
The proposed embassy has sparked a number of protests throughout this year, heavily attended by Hong Kongers who believe the site could be used as a base for increased surveillance of Hong Kongers and dissidents in the U.K.
A decision over its future is expected from the U.K. government soon, with The Times reporting at the end of June that it is expected to be approved within weeks. However, a judicial review is expected to follow, and protest groups are likely to mount legal challenges.
A spokesman for Royal Mint Court Residents Association, which represents residents in the area around the embassy site, said: “This has been a David versus Goliath battle since the beginning, and we are not giving up now. Most of us fully expected this outcome, and we are now crowdfunding a legal challenge.”
Increased ‘National Security’ Scrutiny on Restaurants
Hong Kong will tighten monitoring of food and entertainment venues, looking for national security violations before granting approval licenses, the city’s chief executive, John Lee (李家超), has said.
The increased scrutiny is likely targeted at businesses that have displayed posters, symbols or images that show solidarity with the pro-democracy movement in the city, Reuters reported.
“Food and environmental hygiene officers … should place national security as the most important consideration and make appropriate assessments,” Lee told reporters.
Leticia Wong (黃文萱), a former pro-democracy district councilor who runs a book shop, told The Associated Press her shop is regularly visited by food and hygiene inspectors, the fire department or other authorities over issues like hosting events without a license — with an increase around the June 4 anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Another Opposition Party Disbands
Hong Kong’s League of Social Democrats, a left-wing opposition party, has disbanded in the face of what it called “immense political pressure.” Founded in 2006, the party’s chair, Chan Po-ying (陳寶瑩), said in a statement: “We have endured hardships of internal disputes and the near-total imprisonment of our leadership while witnessing the erosion of civil society, the fading of grassroots voices, the omnipresence of red lines and the draconian suppression of dissent.”
On June 12, members of the party protested against convictions over street booth activities, having been fined for collecting money without a permit and displaying posters without approval.
Remarking on the wider political situation in Hong Kong, Chan said: “In the past, the government said it focused on a small portion of people. Now, it includes various kinds of people in Hong Kong, ordinary residents.”
Hong Kong’s oldest democratic party, the Democratic Party, is also in the middle of shutting down. In April, its remaining members voted to proceed with plans to do so after Chairman Lo Kin-hei (羅健熙) told a press conference in March that the decision was based on the current political situation and social climate.
U.K. Settled Status for Hong Kongers
U.K. Members of Parliament with large Hong Konger populations in their constituencies are urging the government to honor a commitment to offer Hong Kongers the right to work and live in the U.K. without any legal limits after five years. An immigration white paper published in May suggested extending the period to 10 years for new immigrants to the U.K., but it was not clear if this would apply to Hong Kongers arriving on the British National (Overseas) visa, given that a previous commitment had been made to allow them to settle in the U.K. after five years.
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