Hong Kong’s “Security Act”: “We’re Going Through Dark Times”

The controversial security law came into force in Hong Kong a year ago. The most serious encroachment on the autonomy of the city to date is having an effect: critics have fallen silent, fled or were arrested.

Regina Ip is satisfied. The sharp-tongued chairwoman of the New People’s Party, which is loyal to Beijing, is convinced that things have been going really well in Hong Kong since the “Security Act”: “In any case, it was a success. It restored law and order and now protects national security,” says Ip .

A law as a step backwards

Indeed, there is no longer any demonstration on the streets of Hong Kong. And that’s not just due to the corona pandemic. Protest slogans that were once popular can now be punishable by law. The “security law”, deliberately vaguely worded by Beijing, criminalizes anything that is considered separatist, terrorist or subversive, as well as conspiracy with foreign forces.

But unlike Regina Ip, many people in Hong Kong see the law not as progress, but as a step backwards. It has completely changed the 7.5 million metropolis, says the former head of the Democratic Party, Emily Lau. “We never had a democracy in Hong Kong, but the level of civil rights, freedoms, security and the rule of law has been much greater than in many democracies for decades,” she said. “But it all seems to be disappearing very quickly now.”

Beijing’s response to demonstrations

The “Security Law” was Beijing’s answer to the major demonstrations of 2019 and 2020 for more democracy in Hong Kong. There have been more than 110 law-related arrests in the past twelve months; over 40 people are in custody. Charges have been brought more than 60 times. The judgments are still pending.

Many democracy activists also ended up in prison for other crimes. Former pro-democracy MP Ted Hui was also almost hit. He escaped arrest by escaping, speaks to the from Adelaide, Australia ARD radio: “The people in Hong Kong can no longer act as freely as they used to, that affects the media, normal political participation, the parties,” he says. “We have lost our semi-democratic electoral system. We have basically lost all of our freedoms.”

The end of “Apple Daily”

Many people are deeply insecure. What else can you say, what else to write, where are the red lines? The recent arrests at the pro-democracy newspaper “Apple Daily”, the forced closure of the paper – all of these have confirmed the worst fears of many people.

Ted Hui notices the climate of fear among his Hong Kong friends. “Some are really nervous when I call them, they are concerned about their safety, they ask which messenger service they can use and some don’t want to talk to me for more than three minutes,” he says.

The city’s autonomy has passed

The Chinese leadership has undermined the city’s autonomy under the formula “one country, two systems”, says Ted Hui. But Regina Ip of the pro-Beijing New People’s Party does not accept these allegations.

They are completely exaggerated and have no basis, she says. Hong Kong would now have a bright future. Ted Hui and many others see it differently. “We’re going through dark times,” he says. “People in Hong Kong right now only see darkness – no light.”