China's new national security law in Hong Kong is a gut punch to the city's freedoms. It could mark the end of Hong Kong as we know it.

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• The new national security law in Hong Kong passed last month has wide-reaching consequences for the future of the city.
• The new law, unilaterally imposed by China, bans all forms of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with a foreign country, in the name of China's national security. It threatens a maximum penalty of life in prison.
• Residents of Hong Kong, legal scholars, pro-democracy activists, and rights groups have sounded the alarm over the severity of the new bill and have agreed that Hong Kong will now likely operate in a fundamentally different way than it has in the past.  
• "The pro-democracy movement — if it could continue at all — would likely need to go underground," an activist from Hong Kong, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution under the new law, told Business Insider. 
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Last month, China unilaterally passed a new national security law for Hong Kong in an aggressive assertion of dominance over its semi-autonomous territory that has seen growing pro-democracy and anti-China sentiment in recent years. 

The text of the new law was kept secret by China before it was officially brought into law. The Hong Kong government formally adopted the law on the evening of June 30, kowtowing to the will of the Chinese Communist Party's will. 

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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See Also:

• Here are all the countries considering citizenship, visa protections, or refugee status for Hong Kongers fleeing China's harsh new security law
• Australia moves to suspend its extradition agreement with Hong Kong over the city's harsh new national security law
• TikTok says it is ceasing operations in Hong Kong 'in light of recent events'

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