Hong Kong’s use of the security law to clamp down on dissent heightened in the final month of 2020. December saw university graduates arrested under the security law for shouting banned slogans. Later in the month, Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai was charged with colluding with foreign forces while former opposition lawmakers and activists have […]
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Explainer: Hong Kong’s national security crackdown – month 5
Five months after Beijing imposed its controversial security law on Hong Kong, the city’s legislature has been emptied of all pan-democrats while police have made further arrests of opposition figures and journalists. The Department of Justice launched appeals against court decisions in November to acquit alleged protesters and Chief Executive Carrie Lam stressed national security […]
Posted inHKFP Reports
Explainer: How – and why – Hong Kong’s legislative opposition ground to a halt
Hong Kong’s parliamentary opposition has just ground to a total halt, as a result of the government’s decision to disqualify four members of the Legislative Council from pro-democracy political parties. The four include Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki and Dennis Kwok from the pro-democracy Civic Party, as well as Kenneth Leung from the accountancy functional constituency. […]
Posted inHong Kong
Explainer: How the Hong Kong authorities cracked down on public broadcaster RTHK
Hong Kong’s government-funded broadcaster, Radio Television Hong Kong, is under fire again. Last week, police arrested freelance TV producer Bao Choy, alleging that during her reporting she had made a false statement under the Road Traffic Ordinance to obtain information on vehicle owners. The documentary that Choy produced –“7.21: Who Owns the Truth”– for Hong […]
Posted inHong Kong
Explainer: Hong Kong’s national security crackdown – month 4
October began with National Day celebrations commemorating the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The public holiday was marred by a heavy police presence across the city which stifled planned pro-democracy demonstrations. October also saw a teacher sacked for allegedly “spreading Hong Kong independence” while a localist activist became the […]
Posted inHong Kong
Explainer: Hong Kong’s national security crackdown – month 3
The Beijing-imposed national security law is reshaping Hong Kong’s political landscape as authorities clamp down on acts deemed to violate its broad provisions. This month, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung took to the international stage to praise the controversial legislation for restoring “stability” to Hong Kong, despite accusations from activists and foreign officials of a tightening […]
Posted inHKFP Reports
Explainer: Hong Kong’s national security crackdown – month 2
Hong Kong’s national security law has thrown a city scarred by months of political unrest into further uncertainty, as millions continue to adjust to a new normal. Two months after its enactment, pro-democracy activists been rounded up and government officials targeted with tough sanctions amid an increasingly hairy diplomatic dispute between superpowers. HKFP rounds up […]
Posted inHong Kong
Explainer: How Hong Kong and Chinese officials reacted to the US sanctions
Last Friday, the US Treasury Department announced that 11 individuals from Hong Kong and mainland China – including the city’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam – would be sanctioned for the alleged roles they played in undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy. Any property or assets which the 11 possess in the US are now frozen, and US […]
Posted inHong Kong
Explainer: Why Hong Kong asked Beijing to solve a legislative conundrum
On Wednesday, Beijing passed a decision to let incumbent Hong Kong lawmakers remain in office for at least one year, as a solution to the lacuna resulting from the 2020 Legislative Council (LegCo) election postponement. China’s top legislative body – the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) – voted in favour of the decision after […]
Posted inHong Kong
Explainer: How Hong Kong banned 12 democrats from the legislative election
The Legislative Council Elections nomination period ended last Friday with Hong Kong’s government barring 12 pro-democracy candidates from the now-postponed race. Most electoral officers cited a past ruling that disqualified pro-independence activist Andy Chan from running in 2016 legislative elections. They wrote that “an intention to uphold the Basic Law denotes not just a compliance […]
