Hong Kong: 394 Arrested Under National Security Law, Ministry Reports

China’s Ministry of State Security has reported that as of early April 2026, a total of 394 individuals have been arrested in Hong Kong on suspicion of endangering national security, with 208 prosecuted and 180 convicted. The figures, released on the sixth anniversary of the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL), provide the most comprehensive official accounting of enforcement since the law took effect on June 30, 2020.

According to The Paper, the Ministry confirmed that among those convicted are “anti-China, destabilizing Hong Kong ringleaders” such as Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily, who pleaded guilty and is serving his sentence. The data underscores the scale and consistency of national security operations in the territory over the past six years.

The Legal Framework’s Evolution

The Hong Kong National Security Law, enacted by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and applied to Hong Kong via the Basic Law, targets four categories of offenses: secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces. Since its implementation, the legal architecture has steadily expanded. In March 2024, Hong Kong completed its Basic Law Article 23 legislation, enacting the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, which refined crime definitions and added specific penalties. This was followed by subsidiary regulations in May 2025 and amendments to the Article 43 Implementation Rules in March 2026, which introduced new provisions on electronic device access and password disclosure.

As noted by Wikipedia, the NSL carries maximum penalties of life imprisonment for serious offenses. Strict bail provisions under Article 42 require judges to have sufficient grounds that a defendant will not continue endangering national security before granting bail, resulting in most defendants being denied release.

New Documentary Series Launched

Coinciding with the anniversary, the Hong Kong Security Bureau launched a five-episode television documentary series titled “National Security Archives Declassified” (国安档案解密), hosted by actor Chan Kai-tai. According to the China News Service, the series examines major NSL cases including the Tong Ying-kit case — the first person convicted under the law, receiving a nine-year sentence for secession — alongside the “35+” subversion case and others.

Hong Kong Security Secretary Chris Tang, speaking at the launch ceremony on June 29, said: “Looking back on the turbulent days of 2019, social order in Hong Kong was wantonly destroyed. What is most infuriating is that to this day, some people still attempt to distort facts and glorify the illegal acts of that time.”

Enforcement in Numbers

The conviction rate stands at approximately 86.5% of those prosecuted — 180 of 208 individuals. This high rate, consistent with earlier reporting that noted all defendants had been convicted or pleaded guilty as of July 2023, indicates a highly effective prosecution apparatus under the NSL framework. The 394 arrests span the full six-year period, with enforcement intensifying as the legal framework matured.

Professor Fu Jianci, a legal scholar at Beijing Jiaotong University and member of the National Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, told state media that the NSL “has clearly defined the red lines of national security, effectively curbed violence and acts that paralyzed society, and ensured judicial independence and the legitimate rights and interests of citizens within a stable framework.”

Broader Governance Context

The enforcement data was released alongside other indicators of what Chinese authorities describe as Hong Kong’s transition “from chaos to governance” (由乱到治) and now “from governance to prosperity” (由治及兴). In an interview with Guancha, Hong Kong LegCo Member Deng Fei addressed questions about lingering societal divisions, stating: “I actually don’t quite agree with the saying that ‘people have returned but their hearts have not.’ After all, it has been six or seven years since the 2019 ‘black violence.’ To say that there has been no change at all in such a long time is impossible.”

Hong Kong marked the 29th anniversary of its return to China on July 1, 2026, with a flag-raising ceremony and reception. The city has also launched its first-ever five-year development plan (2026-2030) and saw its first Hong Kong-born astronaut, police superintendent Lai Jiaying, travel to space aboard Shenzhou-23 in May 2026.

International Reactions and Outlook

The NSL has drawn sustained criticism from Western governments and human rights organizations. The U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China has called for sanctions against Hong Kong prosecutors and judges, while the bipartisan Hong Kong Sanctions Act introduced in November 2023 named 49 judges, prosecutors, and officials for potential sanctions. The Strider Intel analysis noted that the March 2026 amendments to the NSL’s implementing rules — which criminalize refusing to hand over passwords or provide decryption assistance to police — represent “a meaningful shift in the risk calculus for foreign companies” operating in or transiting through Hong Kong.

China and Hong Kong authorities have consistently condemned foreign interference as “despicable threats” and warned that significant national security cases could be transferred to mainland China under Article 55 of the NSL if sanctions materialize. As the legal framework continues to evolve and enforcement data accumulates, the six-year mark offers a clear vantage point on the scale and direction of national security operations in Hong Kong — and the challenges that lie ahead for both authorities and international stakeholders.