Law, which has in effect silenced opposition, comes into force with penalties of up to life in prison for treason and insurrection

Hong Kong’s new national security law came into force on Saturday, putting into immediate effect tough penalties of up to life imprisonment for crimes including treason and insurrection.

The law – commonly referred to as article 23 – targets five categories of national security crimes, and was swiftly passed by Hong Kong’s opposition-free legislature on Tuesday.

This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.