[triceratops]

Yeah sorry no that's not the same thing as "made emigration illegal". When you say that I think of Soviet Russia with its exit visas that people hardly ever got.

[spwa4]

It kind of is. You try to leave, the police stops you. You go to court, the court decides against you. What's not "lawful" about that (aside from the very unjust nature of China's laws)

[triceratops]

For it to be true there would have to be evidence that it's default disallowed. Or that most people can't get passports at all, no matter what.

[spwa4]

No country locks of passports 100%. And, look, you asked for a source, the hrw article provides a source.

[triceratops]

Every country has laws about who can get passports. In countries without proper rule of law this is often arbitrary. Does that mean all those countries have made emigration illegal?

[spwa4]

If the law also says you can't leave without passports, like Chinese law, then yes, obviously.

[triceratops]

> If the law also says you can't leave without passports, like Chinese law,

Other countries don't let you in without a passport. Even in the absence of a Chinese law, an airline would deny you boarding if you didn't have a passport.