More than 250 people have been arrested under the legislation, including 47 politicians and pro-democracy activists, most of whom have been held without bail for more than two years.
Authorities say the law, which criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces and is punishable by life imprisonment, was necessary to restore stability.
Government crackdown has sent Hong Kong, long considered one of Asia’s freest societies, plummeting in rankings like New Zealand’s. Human Rights Measurement Initiativewhich said last week that the city had fallen 33% in its free speech index since 2019.
Happiness is also falling, with families reporting an average score of 6.57 out of 10 compared to 7.26 in 2021, The South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday, citing a recent Hong Kong Family Happiness Index survey, conducted by the non-profit group HK.WeCARE. The survey of 1,356 people also found the biggest drop was among people ages 19 to 24, whose score fell to 6.09 from 6.91 in 2022.
There is a feeling of despondency among Hong Kong residents because “they are used to having certain things and they have been taken away from them,” said Kevin Yam, a Hong Kong lawyer and democracy activist living in Australia.
“A ‘Happy Hong Kong’ campaign should be one where Hong Kong is changing course and taking back some of its freedoms,” he said.
Government authorities strongly oppose such criticism, saying Hong Kong is governed by the rule of law.
In a speech on Saturday marking the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty, Chief Executive John Lee, the city’s top leader, said Hong Kong was rapidly returning to normality and was focused on pragmatic efforts. and in obtaining results.
Lee, who has been in office for a year, said his government will “strive to win trust through action, close gaps with results, and build mutual trust through achievements, in a bid to unite all sectors of the community.
While Hong Kong is now “largely stable,” Lee said, “we know that some countries intentionally attack and oppress us” that have misjudged China’s “peaceful development.”
He called for continued vigilance against the “destructive forces using ‘soft resistance’” that still lurk in the city.
Irrevocable change
It wasn’t until March that Hong Kong lifted the last of the “covid zero” restrictions that had cut it off from the world, allowing residents to venture outdoors without masks for the first time in more than 1,000 days.
The city has been quick to show signs of revival: Last Thursday, a public holiday, Hong Kong’s iconic Dragon Boat festival races were held normally for the first time since before the pandemic.
The economy grew 2.7% in the first quarter of this year, after four consecutive quarters of contraction. Finance Secretary Paul Chan said on Thursday business activity in Hong Kong’s restaurant sector and the value of retail sales had returned to around 90% of their pre-pandemic levels.
Tourists are returning, too, even as airlines struggle to restore cut flights.
“I think Hong Kong is coming back after three years of Covid,” said Tony Chan, a tourist from France whose family is originally from Hong Kong. “I see a lot coming back from mainland China, which is good news.”
Although the “old” Hong Kong returns in some ways, in others it is changing irrevocably.
Last week, the Hong Kong Institute for Public Opinion Research, a polling organization, said it would cancel about a quarter of its regular survey questions and refrain from publishing the results of a few others, including questions about the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. in Beijing, citing “suggestions” from the government.
Hong Kong Police declined to comment on the institute’s decision, saying residents can enjoy the rights and freedoms guaranteed by Hong Kong’s mini-constitution “as long as they don’t break the law.”
The June 4th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, which Hong Kong marked for more than 30 years with a candlelight vigil that drew tens of thousands of people, was once again a subdued affair last month as police entered vigor. Victoria Park, where the annual vigils had been held, was instead occupied by a carnival organized by pro-Beijing groups, and for the second year in a row, the local Catholic diocese did not hold a memorial mass.
Government officials have not said whether it is still legal to peacefully commemorate the anniversary of the crackdown, saying only that everyone must abide by the law.
