Dominic Raab told the House of Commons this morning that “we are waiting for [China’s national security legislation] to be published so we can see the details and assess it.” Sources close to the Foreign Office tell Guido that as soon as there is confirmation of the wording of the law, the UK will be ready to “push back hard” against Beijing if it breaks the Joint Declaration. Later Raab released a statement saying:
“Despite the urging of the international community, Beijing has chosen not to step back from imposing this legislation. China has ignored its international obligations regarding Hong Kong. This is a grave step, which is deeply troubling.
We urgently need to see the full legislation, and will use that to determine whether there has been a breach of the Joint Declaration and what further action the UK will take.”
The Foreign Office is privately bullish about standing up to its responsibilities, yet publicly it is running on China’s timetable. While the UK waits for Beijing to publish the law they have passed, Hong Kongers already understand its gravity. Pro-democracy literature is already being torn down to avoid punishment. The UK should not wait until it is convenient for China in order to act and save the freedoms of people it has an international obligation to protect…
UPDATE: Analysis of the freshly published legislation is revealing that under the law, jury trial will be rendered inapplicable for national security related cases, and anyone seeking to overthrow or disrupt the system of one-party rule in China or Carrie Lam’s regime in Hong Kong faces a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
Meanwhile, jury trial will be rendered inapplicable for national security related cases when the Secretary for Justice considers it necessary to "protect national secrets". Such trials should be handled by 3 judges at the court of first instance.
— Stuart Lau (@stuartlauscmp) June 30, 2020
(2) Subversion: Anyone seeking to "overthrow or disrupt" PRC's "foundational system" (i.e. one-party rule), PRC's regime or HK's regime, faces a max of life imprisonment. Again, active participants face 3-10 yrs behind bars pic.twitter.com/P3UhbCoXnl
— Stuart Lau (@stuartlauscmp) June 30, 2020
Pro-democracy protests by implication appear to have been made illegal. Raab has a statement in the Commons tomorrow…
