Article 23, Hong Kong’s ‘homegrown’ national security law, sparks fears of a widening crackdown on the city’s already diminished civil society and beleaguered pro-democracy actors.
In a move that has sparked widespread concern both domestically and internationally, Hong Kong legislators unanimously approved the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance on March 19 – less than two weeks after the draft law was publicly introduced.
Article 23, as the newly minted law is also known, grants the government sweeping powers to combat various forms of dissent under the guise of protecting national security. It reinforces the National Security Law (NSL) that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong on June 30, 2020.
What is Article 23?
Notwithstanding the adoption of the NSL by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China almost four years ago, Article 23 of Hong Kong’s Basic Law (or its “mini constitution”) outlines a separate national security legislation that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was obligated to enact.
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