Hong Kong Has Made More Than 100 Arrests And Brought 50 Charges Under The Year-Old National Security Law

This diagram breaks down the numbers of arrests and charges made in Hong Kong under China’s new national security law (NSL) into four categories of offense: subversion1, secession2, collusion with a foreign entity3 and terrorist action4. Subversion and secession are the most common grounds for arrest, and subversion is also the most common type of charge.

Notes

1. Under the July 2020 national security law, secession refers to separating Hong Kong from the People's Republic of China.
2. Subversion refers to undermining Hong Kong's government or the central government of China.
3. Collusion refers to disclosing state secrets or threatening national security using foreign assistance.
4. Terrorist action, or terrorism, refers to serious violence against the people or infrastructure in Hong Kong or other parts of China for political purposes.

Source: NPR analysis of data from the Center for Asian Law at Georgetown University (between July 1, 2020 and June 22, 2021). Definitions of offense categories from Hong Kong e-Legislation.

Credit: Duy Nguyen/NPR