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Comment: Doesn't take a genius to come to that conclusion.
National security legislation imposed by China this week on Hong Kong will punish crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, heralding a more authoritarian era for the city.
Comment: "Subversion." Vague and overly broad:
"Both subversion and terrorism have been very broadly characterised within mainland China," says Shoebridge. "Subversion is anything that undermines the power or authority of the central government - and being critical of the central government is enough to meet that woolly definition. ..."Like comparing Xi to Winnie the Pooh, for example?
"We are alarmed that arrests are already being made under the law with immediate effect, when there is not full information and understanding of the scope of the offences," U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said.
Hundreds were arrested at a protest on Wednesday, a day after the new law went into effect, and at least 10 have been charged under it, he told a Geneva news briefing.
"We are concerned that the definition of some of the offences contained in the law are vague and overly broad and do not adequately distinguish between violent and non-violent acts. This may lead to discriminatory or arbitrary interpretation and enforcement of the law, which could undermine human rights protection," Colville said.
The offence of "collusion with a foreign country or with external elements" could leave activists liable to prosecution for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, he said.
The law's provisions guaranteeing the presumption of innocence and rights to due process and fair trial must be upheld, in line with international treaties protecting civil and political rights, he said.
Comment: On the positive side, perhaps this law will be useful in rooting out actual examples of American interference. On the negative side, China's criminal justice system leaves a lot to be desired. With a 99.9% conviction rate, good luck having any nuance brought to your trial if you happen to be mistaken for an actual American-backed agitator. Legislation like this makes it very easy to scoop up any dissidents guilty of "subverting" the government through their criticism - however mild - and blaming it on alleged foreign actors or influence. That's a key feature of practically all "Communist" governments, and has been increasingly used by Western government and media in recent years in regards to Russia.
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