A pair of surveillance cameras are seen along the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront as skyline buildings stand across Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong, China July

Factbox: What you need to know about Hong Kong's national security law

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2021-06-18 03:30:02

A pair of surveillance cameras are seen along the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront as skyline buildings stand across Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong, China July 28, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

June 17 (Reuters) - China imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong in June 2020 that punishes what authorities broadly refer to as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.

Government officials in Beijing and Hong Kong said the law would target only a small number of "troublemakers" who threaten national security, and that the rights and freedoms of ordinary Hong Kong people would be protected.

The reach of the law has stunned some diplomats, lawyers, activists and legal scholars. The legislation provides for more active state management and oversight of foreign groups, organisations and media based in Hong Kong, a former British colony that has been China's freest and most international city.

The law stipulates that mainland agents, who are now officially based in the city for the first time, cannot be detained or inspected by local authorities while carrying out their duties.