Five years since the National Security Law, Hong Kong Watch urges the world to commit to action on Hong Kong

Today marks five years since the Beijing government imposed the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL) on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), as well as the 28th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong on 1 July 1997.

This past half-decade has been catastrophic for Hong Kong’s autonomy, rule of law, and its protection of fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, as well as Hong Kong’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

To date, a total of 326 people have been arrested on national security charges under the NSL and Article 23, known officially as the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO), which was passed into law last year. Of the 187 people and five companies that have so far been charged, 164 people and one company have been convicted or are awaiting sentencing.

These include 45 of the ‘47 democrats’, arrested in 2020 and charged with conspiracy to commit subversion under the NSL for organising unofficial primary elections. This also includes businessman and founder of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai, one of the most prominent individuals to be arrested under the NSL. The crackdown has also extended far beyond high-profile activists to include jail sentences for individuals engaged in minor actions such as wearing a t-shirt with a pro-democracy slogan on it.

Troublingly, the crackdown has also extended beyond the borders and sovereign territory of the HKSAR and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), with Hong Kong 1 million dollar bounties (£100,000) placed on 19 individual activists now living in the UK, US, Canada and Australia. Letters have been distributed outside the homes of these activists in the UK, calling on their neighbours to turn them over to the Chinese embassy.

The NSL and ‘patriots-only’ electoral reforms, both imposed by the National People’s Congress in Beijing, have dramatically reshaped Hong Kong’s political landscape and badly damaged the integrity of Hong Kong’s rule of law. Formerly guaranteed a ‘high degree of autonomy’ under the Basic Law, the Electoral Reform Decision cut the number of directly elected seats in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (or ‘LegCo’)  by half, and introduced new requirements for prospective legislators to undergo vetting by a pro-Beijing committee to ensure their loyalty to the Mainland.

The NSL, meanwhile, has created the shadowy Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS), an organ of the PRC state staffed by Mainland officials and empowered to apply PRC law in national security cases. Following subsidiary legislation to Article 23 passed by pro-Beijing legislators in May 2025, the premises of the OSNS are designated ‘prohibited places’ and a mechanism is to be put in place to ensure the OSNS is able to apply Mainland law in national security cases. Anyone who discloses information related to actions by the OSNS, or who fails to comply with its orders, can face a fine of up to HK$500,000 (£46,000) and imprisonment for up to seven years.

Five years on from the National Security Law, it is clear that these changes are not simply aimed at cracking down on the 2019 protest movement, but are aimed at transforming Hong Kong in the long term, including reshaping Hong Kong’s economy. The head of the OSNS, Dong Jingwei, has stated in the People’s Daily that ‘national security and development go together’, indicating that the scope of these laws is aimed at co-opting Hong Kong’s economic and legal systems. These measures should be extremely concerning for commercial actors and policymakers who are considering economic opportunities in Hong Kong.

On the fifth anniversary of the National Security Law, we remember all those who have been arrested under the draconian laws, and all political prisoners who are currently in jail for their pro-democracy advocacy. And we send a warning to all those watching Hong Kong from around the world: the crackdown on Hong Kong’s freedoms is far from over. We urge the international community to continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong and commit to meaningful, concrete action in defence of the values we cherish.

國安法五週年 香港監察促請世界就中港當局持續打壓香港自由採取行動

今天是北京對香港強推《國家安全法》五週年，也是1997年7月1日香港主權移交28週年的日子。

過去五年，香港的自治、法治、《基本法》所保障的基本權利和自由，以及香港在《公民及政治權利國際公約》下的義務，均受到災難般的打擊。

到目前為止，共有326人因涉嫌違反《國安法》和去年通過的「23條」（正式名稱為《維護國家安全條例》）而被捕；至今已有187人和5間公司被起訴，當中164人和1間公司被定罪或等候判刑。

《國安法》實施五年以來，這些變化顯然不單是為打壓2019年抗爭運動，更是為長遠徹底改變香港，包括重塑香港經濟。駐港國安公署署長董經緯在《人民日報》撰文表示，「維護安全與推動發展統籌兼顧」，表明這些法例旨在同化香港的經濟和法律制度。正考慮在香港物色商機的商界人士和政策制訂者應嚴正關注這些舉措。

《國安法》五週年之時，香港監察顧念所有因苛法而被捕的人，以及所有因倡議民主而在囚的政治犯。我們向世界各地注視香港的人發出警告：中港當局對香港自由的打壓遠未完結。我們促請國際社會繼續站在香港人一方，承諾採取有意義的具體行動，捍衛我們珍視的價值。