Once one of the world’s most free and open places, Hong Kong is becoming an authoritarian state. Its decline should terrify the West.
Hong Kong’s descent started in 1997 when the Chinese Communist Party took over the city from the British government. Since then, for more than two decades, Hongkongers have witnessed the CCP’s gradual erosion of their freedoms. The pandemic presented the CCP a perfect opportunity to accelerate its control of the city and its 7.5 million residents. Last summer, Beijing imposed a draconian National Security Law on Hong Kong, bypassing Hong Kong’s local legislature. Dennis Kwok, a pro-democracy legislator in Hong Kong, said Beijing’s action “basically means the end of ‘One Country, Two Systems.’” Hong Kongers and the rest of the world didn’t even know what the law entailed until the Hong Kong government posted it on its website on midnight of June 30, 2020, as the law went into effect. The NSL criminalizes any act of “secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with a foreign country or external elements,” with a maximum penalty of life in prison. The definition of each supposed “crime” and even what constitutes “national security” is so vaguely defined, however, a mere tweet supporting Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement could land one in jail. To enforce the NSL, Beijing established a new security agency in Hong Kong with broad power, including taking over certain Hong Kong police cases. This agency is exempt from complying with Hong Kong’s Basic Law — a de facto constitution. All those it arrests will be tried in the mainland, meaning the accused won’t have due process, adequate legal representation, or a fair trial. The NSL also grants Hong Kong police unprecedented power, including “the ability to conduct warrantless searches, seize property, investigate suspects, intercept communications, freeze assets, and prevent people from leaving.” According to the Wall Street Journal, eight months since NSL went into effect, Hong Kong “has all but been brought to heel.” Beijing has applied the law on multiple fronts to crack down on dissents and dismantle institutions established to protect the liberty of Hong Kongers and ensure the rule of law. Last August, Hong Kong police arrested prominent activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow, media tycoon Jimmy Lai, and others for their involvement in 2019’s anti-extradition bill protests. Wong, Chow, and Ivan Lam received their prison sentences in December, while Lai fought his charge. In the same month, mainland China’s coast guard arrested a group of 12 activists, known as “HK12,” who tried to flee Hong Kong via speed boat.
