Details of the national security law were finally revealed after it came into effect at 11pm, 31 June 2020. After it was announced in May it has since been drafted in secret.
So what is it, what does it cover, and what does that mean for all of us that are now living under it?
Scroll down for the full script.
(Aired on ViuTVSix on 1 July 2020)
Full Script:
Well the new law basically creates four new offences.
"Serious" cases, in general, carry a penalty of between 10 years and life in prison.
Lesser offences carry a minimum jail sentence of three to 10 years.
Acts of "secession", violent or not, refer to ones aiming to change Hong Kong's legal status, either separating it from the People's Republic of China, or turning it over to another country.
An example of that is advocating for Hong Kong independence.
"Subversion" is broadly defined by acts to overthrow the central government and the SAR, and disrupt their ability to govern.
That includes defacing or damaging government facilities, like the Legislative Council building for instance.
Arson and vandalising public transport could now be considered acts of terrorism, and this is likely to cover things like traffic lights being damaged or destroyed.
Collusion with foreign forces means things like asking other countries to impose sanctions on China, and divulging state secrets.
Beijing official Zhang Xiaoming gave an example of that today.
He said "provoking hatred against authorities" could cover things like the rumours of deaths when police stormed Prince Edward Station in August last year.
So anyone found guilty of spreading that rumour could potentially be breaking the new law.
Now to enforce all this, police have set up a special national security branch.
That will be allowed to wiretap suspects, and search people's homes, vehicles and phones.
Oversight of that work comes locally from the new Committee for Safeguarding National Security, headed by Carrie Lam.
The committee is advised by a "security consultant," which Beijing will appoint.
But the public won't be told what that work is, and the decisions it takes can't be challenged in the courts here.
Furthermore, the CE will also decide which judges handle national security cases here.
In cases involving state secrets, trial by jury can also be changed.
The bigger question for a lot of people though will be about mainland jurisdiction.
Mainland state agents are now allowed to operate here without being bound by Hong Kong laws.
Individuals could also now be extradited to the mainland.
Suspects in those cases will be tried under mainland law, and in mainland courts.
Mainland authorities today have said that these things won't be applied retrospectively.
But there is still a lot of uncertainty about how aggressively this new law will be policed.
In the case of Article 54, authorities are now supposed to "strengthen the maintenance" of foreign news agencies and other organisations.
That could have the potential to impact freedom of the press here as well.