Hong Kong issues new national security law Bill with tougher jail terms

The Bill lists five new categories of offences - treason, insurrection, espionage and theft of state secrets, sabotaging national security and external interference.

Hong Kong on Friday (Mar 8) published its draft of a new national security law, a document some lawyers said broadened what could be considered sedition and state secrets, with tougher penalties for anyone convicted of those crimes and several others.

The homegrown legislation lists five new categories of offences - treason, insurrection, espionage and theft of state secrets, sabotaging national security and external interference.

It is set to become the city's second national security law, following the one Beijing imposed in 2020 after huge anti-government protests in Hong Kong.

The Legislative Council started debating the Bill on Friday amid tight security, and several members of the largely pro-Beijing body told reporters they expected the Bill to be passed into law before mid-April.

Hong Kong leader John Lee had earlier urged lawmakers to pass the Bill "at full speed".

He said the city was fulfilling its "constitutional responsibility" by creating its own security law as required under Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution since its handover from Britain to China in 1997.