HONG KONG • Amnesty International yesterday said it would shutter its offices in Hong Kong because of the threat posed to staff by a national security law that Beijing has imposed on the city.

China imposed the law last year in response to massive and often violent democracy protests, a move that has transformed Hong Kong's political, cultural and legal landscape and introduced some mainland-style speech curbs.

Amnesty's board chair Anjhula Mya Singh Bais said the decision to close was made "with a heavy heart" and "driven by Hong Kong's national security law".

"(It) has made it effectively impossible for human rights organisations in Hong Kong to work freely and without fear of serious reprisals from the government."

The decision ends more than four decades of the international human rights group's presence in the city.

Amnesty maintains two offices in Hong Kong.

The first is a local branch that focuses on human rights and campaigns in the city. Recent reports by the team have included investigations into how the security law has been deployed and studies of the police's use of force against democracy protesters.

The second office is a regional headquarters that carries out research and advocacy work across East and South-east Asia and the Pacific.

Amnesty said the local office would close on Oct 31 while the regional office would move out by the end of 2021.

The national security law imposed after the 2019 democracy protests covers any offence China considers secession, subversion, collusion with foreign forces or terrorism. More than 70 people, including many of Hong Kong's most prominent democracy activists, have since been charged with security crimes.

Dozens of civil society groups have disbanded in recent months in a bid to avoid a national security investigation. Major tech firms such as Google, Facebook and Twitter have spoken publicly about their concerns about the law.

Last year, The New York Times cited the law when it announced that it was relocating most of its Asia headquarters from Hong Kong to Seoul.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE