hong kong elections
by Oliver Young | Nov 10, 2021
On Tuesday, Hong Kong authorities arrested three people for sharing an online post calling on voters to cast blank ballots in the upcoming Legislative Council (LegCo) general elections in December. The arrests came one day after...
Hong Kong's Expansive National Security Law Swallows Activists, Bail Requests, and M&Ms
by Oliver Young | Sep 23, 2021
Hong Kong authorities' implementation of the National Security Law has been expanding in scope and strictness, with broader language used to describe alleged violations and harsh interpretations of individual cases. As civil...
More Hong Kong Civil Society Groups Disband Under Pressure of National Security Law
Civil society groups in Hong Kong continue to crumble under the weight of the National Security Law. The latest set of victims come from the spheres of media, civil rights, politics, and education, further proving President Xi's...
Translation: Gwyneth Ho on the Meaning of June Fourth to Hong Kong
by John Chan | Jun 11, 2021
Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam is one of 47 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists charged with subversion under the National Security Law for running in a political primary last year. A former journalist for the BBC and local media outlet...
Translation: "Notes from Prison—How Do I View My Own Stand?" by Gwyneth Ho
by John Chan | Apr 15, 2021
HK Government Introduces Even More Measures to Ensure Preferred Election Outcomes
The Hong Kong government has announced an umbrella bill to implement sweeping changes to the city's electoral system, two weeks after the changes were approved by the National People's Congress Standing Committee...
Hong Kong Electoral Downgrade Slashes Elected Share of Legislature, Puts Candidate Vetting Above Law
by John Chan | Mar 30, 2021
On the eve of Hong Kong's handover in 1997, Jiang Zemin famously held up a piece of calligraphy that declared: "Hong Kong's tomorrow will be better." Article 68 of the city's Basic Law states that...
Two Sessions Proposals Aim To End Hong Kong Democracy Movement
by Joseph Brouwer | Mar 5, 2021
During the 2021 convocation of China's National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Beijing announced plans to impose sweeping electoral reforms on Hong Kong that threaten any...
How the HK47 Prepared for Charges Under the National Security Law, and International Reactions
by John Chan | Mar 2, 2021
On Sunday, February 28, 47 prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activists were charged with subversion under the Hong Kong National Security Law. The charges were widely expected after the activists were first arrested in a massive...
Hong Kong Prosecutors Charge 47 With Subversion, Supporters Rally Outside Bail Hearing
In an orchestrated spectacle seemingly timed to coordinate with leaders in Beijing, 47 prominent pro-democracy supporters—including very nearly every member of Hong Kong's pro-democracy camp—were crammed into a West...
HK Announces Oath Requirement for Elected Officials, Paving Way for More Opposition Disqualifications
by John Chan | Feb 23, 2021
The Hong Kong government has introduced a bill that will grant it the power to disqualify elected officials for failing to pledge loyalty, as the authorities define it, to the HKSAR or for betraying their oath of office. The...
Xi Wants "Patriotic" Hong Kong Politicians, a New Party Leaps at the Chance
by Joseph Brouwer | Jan 27, 2021
During a video-conference call with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, Xi Jinping announced that "Hong Kong must always be governed by patriots." Xi's demand for "patriotic" politicians mirrored mainland calls that Hong...
Strength of Cases Against Arrested Hong Kong Democrats Uncertain
by John Chan | Jan 7, 2021
On the eve of the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law, Chief Executive Carrie Lam addressed the 44th session of the UN Human Rights Council: "[The law] will only target an extremely small minority of...
Hong Kong's Purge: Every 2020 Pro-democracy LegCo Candidate Arrested Under National Security Law
Fifty-three people have been arrested for "subversion" under the Hong Kong National Security Law, including every single pro-democracy candidate for the delayed 2020 Legislative Council elections. Around 1000 police...
Reactions to Hong Kong Legislature Disqualifications, Worldwide and at Home
by John Chan | Nov 12, 2020
As the news broke around the world that Hong Kong's Legislative Council would have no opposition for the first time since 1997, governments worldwide have roundly condemned Beijing and the Hong Kong government for...
HK Chief Executive Fires Four Legislators, Prompting Resignation of Entire Opposition
The Hong Kong government disqualified four pro-democracy lawmakers on Wednesday, in a unilateral move that triggered the mass resignation of the entire pro-democracy camp in the Legislative Council, locally known as LegCo. The...
Hong Kong Plan to Extend Voting to Mainland Residents Stirs Backlash
by John Chan | Oct 13, 2020
A forthcoming proposal by the Hong Kong government to expand voting for the city's permanent residents living in mainland China has ignited controversy in the city. The plan, which was originally expected to be unveiled in Chief...
Hong Kong Election Delayed After Disqualifications, Arrests, Professor's Firing
by Samuel Wade | Jul 31, 2020
Hong Kong's government announced on Friday that September's Legislative Council elections would be postponed for one year, confirming earlier reports and signals from establishment figures. The move was ostensibly...