Hong Kong Supercharges 1938 British Sedition Law to Curb Dissent
Colonial-era offense now overrides free speech laws and is easier to prosecute than China-drafted measure
Police officers stand guard at Victoria Park, the traditional site of the annual Tiananmen candlelight vigil, on June 4.
Photographer: Justin Chin/BloombergBubble-tea shop owners jailed after publishing anti-vaccination messages online. An IT worker arrested over posting the political slogan “Liberate Hong Kong” on social media. A 67-year-old apprehended simply for applauding a court defendant.
Ever since Beijing imposed a national security law on the city in 2020, these acts have been considered crimes in the former British colony, which once protected free speech. Yet now, after a Hong Kong court last December expanded the scope of the statute, authorities are increasingly prosecuting them under a colonial sedition law that hadn’t be used for decades.