The first duty of law enforcement should be to ensure that protests and demonstrations proceed peacefully so that people are free to express themselves by peaceful means, not to disrupt them or to arrest those taking part Image by metaliza01 from Pixabay A new Era of Repression It comes as no surprise that authoritarian countries such as China and Russia have cracked down hard on protesters. Hong Kong is already feeling the effects of China’s National Security Law of June 2020 . Under the law protesters can be gaoled for 3 years to life for subversion, secession or collusion with foreign forces. Beijing has granted itself the right to hold trials in secret, with handpicked judges and without a jury and with difficult trials being held in Beijing rather than Hong Kong. Hundreds have already been arrested. Many others have left. In Russia , 400 people have been fined or arrested for protesting against the war with Ukraine. What is shocking is how many ...
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