Impact Of The New National Security Act, Democracy Books Disappear From Hong Kong Libraries

Ilustrasi photo (Inaki del Olmo / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The new National Security Law (UU) in Hong Kong is starting to impact many aspects of democratic life. After a series of activist arrests, it is now reported that books written by the country's democracy activists are starting to disappear from the city's libraries.

One of the authors whose book disappeared was Joshua Wong. He is known as one of the most prominent young activists throughout the demonstration. Another, Tanya Chan, a member of parliament who is known to be pro-democracy.

The new National Security Law came into effect on Tuesday, 30 June. The signing by Chinese President Xi Jinping marks the most radical change in the history of semi-autonomous cities since being handed back to China by Britain in 1997.

China's authoritarian leaders say they will not castrate Hong Kong people's freedoms. They said there would only be small steps to restore stability after one year of pro-democracy protests.

However, nevertheless, the new National Security Law in China has raised great concerns about democratic life. Moreover, since the enactment of the new National Security Law, the police have arrested people who speak openly about freedom.

For Wong, there is nothing else. The removal of books must have been carried out by the authorities in the name of the security law.

"White terror continues to spread, national security laws are basically a tool for damning speech," he wrote on Facebook, using phrases that refer to political persecution.

According to the Straits Times, searches on public library sites showed that at least three works by Wong, Chan and local scholar Chin Wan were missing from library shelves.

The city's cultural and leisure services department said it would make a statement on Saturday (July 4).