Protests in Hong Kong: Per emergency law - Hong Kong government prohibits disguise

The protests in Hong Kong are not aborting. Now head of government Carrie Lam is trying a law of emergency from the British colonial era, to crack harder against the demonstrators.

As Lam announced, a mummification ban was issued during protests. The ban on masks or other disguise applies from Saturday to public gatherings in the Chinese Special Administrative Region. It will be punished with up to one year in prison.

"Public policy is in dangerous condition," Lam said. The violence has increased. The perpetrators almost always covered their faces. "We can not allow the situation to get worse and worse." For the first time in more than half a century, the government in Hong Kong relies on the Emergency Law. The measure is highly controversial.

Although Lam sought the Emergency Law, she said, "That does not mean that Hong Kong is in a state of emergency." Also not formally the state of emergency is proclaimed. She hopes that Hong Kong will return to peace with the mantle ban. Parliament will be presented with the regulation at its next meeting on 16 October in order to make it a law.

Law was enacted by British colonial rulers

The Law for Emergencies and Public Danger was promulgated by the British colonial rulers in 1922 and applied twice: to quell a strike by sailors who paralyzed the port in the same year, and in 1967 during unrest and protests by pro-Communist forces against British colonial rule ,

The Act under Chapter 241 gives Prime Minister Lam further emergency measures "that are considered necessary in the public interest". Censorship, facilitated detention and imprisonment, house searches, confiscation and the disruption of communications networks are among those expressly cited.

In the future, the police may also ask any person in the public, with reasonable suspicion, to remove a face mask for identification. Those who do not follow this must expect punishment of up to six months imprisonment.

Protection against tear gas and monitoring

For months, there has been mass demonstrations in Hong Kong against the growing influence of China. On the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic, protests in the Special Administrative Region had escalated. For the first time a demonstrator was shot. Around 100 more people were injured. Also, 269 people were arrested - more than ever before in one day.

Watch the video: Protests on the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China

Video

Vincent Thian / AP / dpa

So far, the demonstrators use masks and glasses many times to protect themselves from tear gas or pepper spray. They also want to prevent the police to identify them - for example with facial recognition software.

How the disguise prohibition is enforced in practice, must be shown. Also affected are journalists who report on demonstrations and similarly protect themselves with face masks against tear gas. With the decision on the basis of the emergency law, the government avoids otherwise necessary deliberations in the parliament, which reappoints only in the middle of the month.