Vaguely worded and broad in scope, the law was crafted and enacted from Beijing. It quickly transformed life in Hong Kong.
Boisterous demonstrations all but disappeared. Newsrooms were raided and shuttered. Labor unions, pro-democracy coalitions and other civil society groups disbanded, one after another.
Free speech and judicial independence have long been cherished in Hong Kong and are protected under the Basic Law, as the city’s mini-constitution is known. But the Chinese government, which administers Hong Kong as a semi-autonomous territory, sees those principles as secondary to its control. Since 2019, Tai had argued that the pro-democracy camp should hold an unofficial primary election, to find out who its most electable candidates were. Under his strategy, if the democrats could gain a majority in the legislature, they could block the government’s budget, which by law would have forced an ouster of Carrie Lam, then the city’s deeply unpopular leader.
Several other defendants, like Claudia Mo, Eddie Chu and Lam Cheuk-ting, were veteran lawmakers who had been at the forefront of Hong Kong’s democracy movement for years. Others, like Gwyneth Ho, Owen Chow and Winnie Yu, represented a newer generation of activists and unionists, politicized in the wake of the 2019 protests.Analysts said the case demonstrated the wide reach of the national security law, which authorities initially said would only affect a small minority of the city.
“It really tells the world that as long as you are in alignment with the pro-democracy movement, you will be considered a criminal,” said Eric Lai, an expert in Hong Kong law.Eva Pils, a law professor at King’s College London, said guilty pleas would allow China to argue that the “wrongdoers” had seen the error of their ways. “Part of the purpose of that messaging operation is to normalize the criminalization of political dissent in Hong Kong,” she said.
With its implementation in 2020 came a web of new national security divisions within the city’s police force and prosecutor’s office. Chinese security forces were allowed to operate openly in Hong Kong for the first time, from a newly created base. This apparatus is led by a national security panel committee that includes Hong Kong’s chief executive, as well as Beijing’s top representative in the city.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hong Kong Is Giving Away 500,000 Flights This Year—Here's What to KnowOn Thursday, Hong Kong’s leader John Lee announced the city is giving away 500,000 flights in an effort to revive its economy after strict pandemic policies.
Read more »
Hong Kong offers 500,000 free plane tickets to lure tourists backThe 'Hello Hong Kong' campaign will start doling out free plane tickets on March 1, for the airlines Cathay Pacific, HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines.
Read more »
Hong Kong offers 500,000 free plane tickets to lure tourists backThe 'Hello Hong Kong' campaign will start doling out free plane tickets on March 1, for the airlines Cathay Pacific, HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines.
Read more »
Hong Kong Is Giving Away 500,000 Flights This Year—Here's What to KnowOn Thursday, Hong Kong’s leader John Lee announced the city is giving away 500,000 flights in an effort to revive its economy after strict pandemic policies.
Read more »