‘collusion with foreign forces’, completely transforming Hong Kong’s political and legal landscape and stifling freedom of the press and free expression of opinions; whereas national security was used to justify censorship, harassment, arrests and prosecutions systematically targeting political and elected representatives, activists, students and journalists in the pro-democracy camp; whereas it is estimated that 128 people have been arrested under the NSL and 64 people formally charged, of whom 47 are currently in pretrial detention; whereas the NSL completely violates the ‘one country, two systems’ principle; whereas the erosion of press freedoms is also counter to Hong Kong’s aspiration as an international business hub; I. whereas, since its entry into force, the NSL has been used to intimidate, attack and even harass journalists and the media, who had already started to quit their jobs as a result; whereas at least 10 journalists and defenders of press freedoms are now facing potential life sentences; whereas the forced closure of Apple Daily, based on charges that its activities constitute a threat to national security, amounts to the definitive end of media freedom and freedom of expression in Hong Kong; J. whereas on 27 June 2021 another independent media outlet, Stand News, announced the deletion of all opinion articles from its website and six directors resigned; whereas the Hong Kong Journalists Association has warned against further arrests of journalists and reported that the authorities have drawn up a list of individuals to be arrested under the NSL; K. whereas at least two foreign judges have resigned from their position citing the NSL as the main reason; whereas in June this year pro-Beijing law-makers successfully intervened, for the first time, in the appointment of a senior judge to the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, in what appears to be a first concrete step in attempting to undermine the independence of the judiciary; L. whereas the Hong Kong authorities have introduced a National Security Law whistleblower hotline; whereas education material and curricula in primary and secondary schools, including international schools attended by expatriate children, are now being vetted based on NSL principles; M. whereas 10 prominent pro-democracy figures, namely Martin Lee, Albert Ho, Jimmy Lai, Margaret Ng, Cyd Ho, Lee Cheuk-yan, Leung Kwok-hung, Au Nok-hin, Leung Yiuchung and Yeung Sum, were sentenced on 16 April 2021 in Hong Kong, in two separate cases, for their peaceful involvement in protests; whereas their sentences range from prison sentences ranging between 8 and 18 months, and suspended prison sentences from 8 to 12 months in five of the cases; whereas these latest decisions follow the sentencing of Joshua Wong and Sze-yiu Koo on 13 April 2021; whereas the lengthy imprisonment of some of the individuals for non-violent acts when exercising protected civic rights is a further sign of the continued shrinking of democratic space and erosion of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong; N. whereas the NSL is de jure and de facto in clear violation of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration and the 1990 Basic Law of the HKSAR, which guarantees the autonomy and the independence of the executive, legislature and judiciary, as well as basic rights and freedoms such as freedom of speech, assembly, association and of the press for 50 years after the handover of sovereignty; whereas the NSL also prevents Hong Kong from abiding by its international human rights obligations, including the ICCPR; whereas both