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The Hong Kong administration has fast-tracked the enactment of new legislation under its domestic security law to include a maximum of seven years of jail term for disclosing ongoing investigations by Beijing.
The new legislation appears to be enacted to consolidate Beijing's control over the financial hub, which has witnessed a steady clampdown on dissent.
The Safeguarding National Security Regulation was enforced on Tuesday, just a day after the government proposed the subsidiary legislations in a meeting at the Legislative Council.
The city authorities on Monday announced the new legislative changes to amend the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance to provide better "clarity" and support to Beijing's national security office. Hong Kong authorities last year imposed the domestic security law, also known as Article 23, despite growing international criticism that it could erode freedoms in the city.
The subsidiary laws were tabled before a Legislative Council panel on Tuesday and enacted through a “negative vetting procedure" which allows the law to be first published before being reviewed by lawmakers.
A government spokesperson said the subsidiary law was enacted "against the increasingly turbulent global geopolitical landscape, national security risks to which the HKSAR [Hong Kong Special Administrative Region] is exposed can arise all of a sudden", according to Hong Kong Free Press.
“The two pieces of subsidiary legislation are essential from the perspective of protection in respect of the OSNS’s [Beijing's Office for Safeguarding National Security] effective performance of its mandate under the requirements" of the city's national security legislation, the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson claimed the subsidiary legislation will not affect the lives of the general public, nor hinder the operations of any institutions and organisations.
The new legislation will facilitate the work of Beijing’s national security office in the city, which includes investigating cases that it exercises jurisdiction over. The law includes designating premises linked to Beijing's national security offices, known as the Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS), as "prohibited places".
Anyone who discloses information related to Beijing's OSNS investigations will face a fine of up to HK$500,000 or up to seven years, the law states. Those found guilty of providing false or misleading information to Beijing will also be punished with a maximum fine of HK$500,000 and a jail sentence of up to seven years.
The legislation was gazetted and signed by acting chief executive Eric Chan due to city leader John Lee's current trip to Kuwait.
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