President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen speaks during a press conference about the national domestic security Bill. Photograph: Leung Man Hei/EPA’s government on Friday. The new law would expand the definition of sedition and state secrets, potentially putting journalists and workers in financial services at risk of prosecution for espionage.
In the four years since then, most political opposition in Hong Kong has been snuffed out, with pro-democracy candidates blocked from participating in elections. Much of the independent media has closed down and those that survive are small, poorly resourced and heavily constrained in the scope of their reporting.Joe Biden’s bipartisan gloves are off: this is how he plans to campaign
The draft Bill includes new powers for police to refuse permission for suspects to speak to a lawyer for the first 48 hours after they are arrested. And a court could block someone “reasonably suspected” of committing a national security offence from meeting specific lawyers.