National Security Department

National Security Department 國家安全處
Logo of the National Security Department
Abbreviation	NS
Agency overview
Formed	1 July 2020
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	{{{countryabbr}}}
Legal jurisdiction	Hong Kong
Constituting instrument	Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Operational structure
Overseen by	Committee for Safeguarding National Security
Agency executive	Andrew Kan, Deputy Commissioner of Police
Parent agency	Hong Kong Police Force
Website
police.gov.hk/ns

See also: List of Hong Kong national security cases

The National Security Department has accused and arrested dissenting voices in Hong Kong for "endangering" the national security, including pro-democracy politicians and protestors. Some websites were also reportedly banned by the department, including Hong Kong Watch. ^[11]

Police in the department had to be vetted to review the allegiance and loyalty to China, non-disclosure agreements are signed also. ^[12]

Senior police of the department has been sanctioned by the United States, including Edwina Lau, Frederic Choi, for their role in enforcing the NSL. ^{[13] [14]}

According to local newspaper Ming Pao, police from the NSD regularly, sometimes monthly, met the activists to learn of their latest activities. One claimed he was contacted four times by the security police within one month, warning them any movement on "special days" could lead to arrest. These meetings increased significantly in 2023, as members of NGOs and former local councillors were approached for the first time. ^[15]

In December 2022, in the case against Stand News, it was revealed that officers from the National Security Department had archived 587 articles from the website, sought prosecutors' advice on 30 of them, and then discarded the remaining articles. ^[16] The defense argued that a fair trial would be impossible, since evidence was destroyed. ^[16] An officer, Fung Siu-man, told the court that only national security police had access to a Facebook account under the fake name of "Tang Kee." An officer who used the account left a Facebook comment, saying "Even if [the primaries] did not violate any laws, God will not let you off," to which people in the court laughed at. ^[17]

In May 2023, the department confiscated from storage the Pillar of Shame commemorating victims of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. It cited an ongoing case under investigation. The sculpture was on exhibit at the University of Hong Kong before campus authorities removed it in 2021 and placed it in storage at the university's Kadoorie Centre. ^[18]

Impersonation incident

In 2022, journalists and members of the legal team representing media tycoon Jimmy Lai internationally received threatening messages purportedly from the Security Bureau and the national security wing of the Hong Kong Police Force. The Hong Kong police issued a statement condemning acts of impersonation and asked for more information from those involved in order to follow up on the incident. ^[19]

See also

• Hong Kong national security Law
• List of Hong Kong national security cases
• Committee for Safeguarding National Security
• Office for Safeguarding National Security

References

1. "The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region gazetted and takes immediate effect (with photos)". www.info.gov.hk. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
2. "【最新】警務處已設國家安全處作國安法執法部門". Now 新聞 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). July 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
3. Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region  – via Wikisource.
4. 吳倬安 (2020-07-02). "港版國安法｜比對03年23條草案 顛覆罪、分裂國家罪「大加辣」". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 2022-04-13.
5. "立法會候選人資格審查 譚耀宗：先由警方國安處審核". news.rthk.hk (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2022-04-13.
6. 鄭秋玲 (2020-06-29). "國安法｜消息：警隊劉賜蕙升副處長掌國安部門 蔡展鵬任副手". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 2022-04-13.
7. 倪清江 (2023-04-29). "劉賜蕙退休｜警察總部人員列隊拍手歡送 國安處處長代表警隊送花". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 2023-11-11.
8. "Senior Personnel Arrangement for National Security Department of Hong Kong Police Force (with photos)". www.info.gov.hk. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
9. "袁旭健接替蕭澤頤獲委任警務處副處長 消息：蔡展鵬昨已復工 (10:51)". Ming Pao (in Traditional Chinese). 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
10. "Andrew Kan to head national security police". The Standard. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
11. "Hong Kong Watch website blocked by internet firms in Hong Kong". Hong Kong Watch. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
12. "李家超：執行國安法警員需接受品格審查 遵守保密原則". RFI - 法國國際廣播電台 (in Traditional Chinese). 2020-06-14. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
13. "Syria Designations; Syria-related Designations; Hong Kong-related Designations". U.S. Department of the Treasury. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
14. "U.S. announces new sanctions on six linked to Hong Kong mass arrests". Reuters. 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
15. "遊行集會較疫前大減 社運界指約談變密 劉兆佳：撥亂反正階段 政府態度仍謹慎". Ming Pao (in Traditional Chinese). 2023-07-03. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
16. "Fair trial for Stand News editors 'made impossible after evidence destroyed'". South China Morning Post. 2022-12-19. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
17. Leung, Hillary (15 May 2023). "Hong Kong 47: Not convincing that ex-journalist Gwyneth Ho would uphold Basic Law, prosecution witness claims - Hong Kong Free Press HKFP". hongkongfp.com. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
18. "Hong Kong police seize 'Pillar of Shame' statue in connection with subversion case". South China Morning Post. 2023-05-05. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
19. "Hong Kong police slam fake 'National Security Wing' email sent to Lai lawyers". South China Morning Post. 2022-07-08. Retrieved 2023-10-20.

National Security Department
Traditional Chinese	國家安全處
Simplified Chinese	国家安全处
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Guójiā Ānquán Chù Yue: Cantonese Jyutping gwok3 gaa1 on1 cyun4 cyu3

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Other topics	2011 crackdown 610 Office Arbitrary arrest and detention Black jails Capital punishment Censorship Central Case Examination Group Chinese information operations and information warfare Civil Servant-Family Pair Up Death sentence with reprieve Enforced disappearance Great Cannon Grid-style social management Holistic national security Hong Kong national security law List of Hong Kong national security cases Human flesh search engine Human rights Tibet Macao Hong Kong Internet censorship Inciting subversion of state power Judicial system Judiciary of Hong Kong Judiciary of Macau Laogai Life imprisonment Liuzhi Mass surveillance in China Migration to Xinjiang Penal system PLA Unit 61398 Political offences Picking quarrels and provoking trouble Re-education through labor Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location Soft detention Shuanggui Strike Hard Campaign Against Violent Terrorism Three warfares Two-faced person Persecution of Uyghurs in China Xinjiang internment camps