national security law

Macao’s first national security case involves former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San, arrested in July 2025 for allegedly providing false information to anti-China organizations. His family and observers express concerns over trial fairness due to restrictions on legal representation and incommunicado detention.

Macao’s pro-democracy former lawmaker Au Kam San was arrested in July 2025 under the region’s national security law, marking the first publicly known case since 2009. His family and critics raise concerns about the fairness of his trial, citing restrictions on legal access and communication, with the Macao government not responding to requests for comment.

Macao's first national security case involves Au Kam San, a pro-democracy lawmaker arrested under the law in July 2025. Concerns about the fairness of the case have emerged as little information has been disclosed a year after his arrest.

Macao's first national security case involving Au Kam San, a lawmaker, has raised concerns over trial fairness a year after his arrest. His family reports restricted communication and denied access to his chosen lawyer, with a court proceeding held without their involvement.

Macao’s first national security case involves Au Kam San, a former pro-democracy lawmaker arrested in July 2025 and accused of providing false information to anti-China organizations. His family and observers express concerns over restricted legal access and fairness of his trial, citing seized books linked to the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement and prolonged incommunicado detention.

Macao’s first national security case involves former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam San, arrested in July 2025 under the region’s 2009 law. His family and observers express concerns over trial fairness, citing restrictions on legal access and incommunicado detention. Au faces charges of providing false information to anti-China groups and inciting hatred against Beijing.

A 19-year-old Hong Kong resident was convicted of sedition for writing anti-government graffiti in a commercial building toilet, violating the city’s national security law. The court dismissed a defense claim that a congenital mental disorder impaired his understanding of the graffiti's offensive nature.

China indicated the U.S. could restore Hong Kong's preferential trade privileges after confirming the U.S. will not renew an executive order revoking the city's special status. The U.S. removed Hong Kong leader John Lee and former leader Carrie Lam from one sanctions list but added them to another, while the decision follows trade talks and may ease U.S.-China tensions.

China indicated the U.S. could restore Hong Kong's preferential trade privileges after confirming the U.S. will not renew an executive order revoking the city's special status. The U.S. removed some sanctions on Hong Kong officials but added them to a different list, signaling a policy shift amid ongoing trade discussions.

The Hong Kong government welcomed the Trump administration's decision to let the US national emergency declaration on Hong Kong expire, which had led to ending the city's preferential trade treatment after Beijing's 2020 national security law. The declaration expired as President Trump did not renew it for another year.

A Hong Kong man pleaded guilty to inciting subversion under the national security law for promoting a pro-Taiwan party and disseminating anti-Communist messages. The court heard he proclaimed the Taiwanese government as the legitimate regime and urged Hongkongers to support the Revive the Republic of China Freedom Party through social media and leaflets.

Hong Kong faces warnings of decline due to political and economic pressures, highlighted by Stephen Roach's assertion that the city is 'over.' The 2020 national security law and loss of political autonomy are cited as key factors undermining Hong Kong's economic prominence.

Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong is scheduled for sentencing in September 2026 under a national security law for conspiring to collude with foreign forces. He was arrested in June 2025 and faces charges related to seeking foreign sanctions against Hong Kong or China between July 2020 and November 2020. Wong previously pleaded guilty in 2024 to a separate national security case and was sentenced to four years and eight months.

Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong is set to be sentenced in September for a second national security case under a Beijing-imposed law.

Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung is expected to plead guilty to conspiring with a fugitive former lawmaker to collude with foreign forces. The High Court has scheduled a plea and sentencing hearing for him on September 2.

Six years after Beijing imposed its National Security Law, many of Hong Kong's opposition voices have gone silent. Danny Vincent examines the changes in the city's political landscape.

Two Hong Kong men admitted joining a pro-independence group, citing asylum in Canada or curiosity as their motivation. They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit secession under Hong Kong's national security law for their involvement with the Hong Kong Democratic Independence Union between November 2024 and July last year.

Lam Wing-kee, a Hong Kong bookseller associated with a bookstore that sold materials critical of Chinese leaders, died in Taiwan at 70 after a cancer relapse. He was seized by Chinese authorities in 2015 and later moved to Taiwan in 2019, reopening the bookstore in 2020. His death occurred amid ongoing tensions over Hong Kong's autonomy and national security laws.

Hong Kong police arrested two individuals, including possibly Leticia Wong, owner of Hunter Bookstore, on suspicion of selling seditious publications and receiving foreign funds under a national security law. The arrests involve a shop in Sham Shui Po district and materials inciting hatred against government institutions, including a biography of jailed pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai.

A British court jailed two Chinese-British dual nationals for spying on Hong Kong dissidents in the UK on behalf of China. Peter Wai, a former UK Border Force official, and Bill Yuen, a retired Hong Kong policeman, were convicted of conducting surveillance and intelligence gathering against activists, with the Hong Kong government denying involvement.

Hong Kong’s top court dismissed a legal challenge against a law prohibiting calls to boycott the city’s 'patriots-only' elections, ruling the prohibition is necessary to counter 'organised campaigns' undermining the establishment following the national security law. The Court of Final Appeal judges unanimously decided criminalising incitement to undermine elections is essential for Beijing’s objective of ensuring stability.

Hong Kong authorities criticized The Washington Post for 'groundless allegations' regarding amendments to the city's national security law in an editorial. They emphasized that foreign businesses face no cause for concern.

A recent subsidiary legislation in Hong Kong outlines procedures for handling non-national security offences with national security considerations. The chief executive's authority, under the 2020 national security law, to determine if an act involves national security has sparked debate over whether the executive branch is the appropriate body for such decisions.

Hong Kong is refining its national security law to address loopholes by introducing subsidiary laws that clarify cases endangering national security, including a classification mechanism for such offenses. The move underscores Beijing's emphasis on ongoing national security priorities since the 2020 statute.

Hong Kong's government proposed legislation allowing the city leader to classify criminal acts as national security offenses, refining procedures for such designations. Critics argue this further erodes civil liberties, while authorities claim it is necessary for stability. The legislation does not create new powers but binds courts to the leader's security determinations.

A Hong Kong artist attempted to display a red thread to commemorate the Tiananmen Square crackdown but was stopped by police. The red thread, measuring 6.4 meters, referenced the June 4 date. Another artist was also detained for a symbolic gesture, highlighting Hong Kong's shrinking freedom of expression under the national security law.

A Hong Kong performance artist, Sanmu Chen, attempted to display a 6.4-meter red thread to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown but was stopped by police. Another artist, Chan Mei-tung, was also detained for holding a question-mark-shaped balloon. Public commemorations of the event in Hong Kong have become increasingly restricted since 2020, following the ban on annual vigils and the imposition of a national security law.

Jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai was awarded Germany's Deutsche Welle freedom of speech award in absentia for his contributions to the movement. The award ceremony will take place on 23 June at the DW Global Media Forum in Bonn.