Published on the East Asia Forum Site
Here’s the introduction
Author: Brendan Clift, University of Melbourne
The recent round-up and arrest of 53 pro-democracy activists in China’s nominally-autonomous, semi-democratic Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was the latest escalation in a long war on political opposition. With the crackdown perpetrated under the draconian national security law imposed by Beijing last year, the question now is whether Hong Kong’s English-derived, common law legal system can retain its distinct character and identity in the face of China’s authoritarian agenda.
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement pre-dates the region’s 1997 handover and has chalked up some wins over the years. But its broader objectives have remained unmet as Beijing has taken a different view on the ‘gradual and orderly’ progress to democracy referenced in Hong Kong’s constitutional document, the Basic Law.
Beijing’s reluctance to let go of the reins spawned the 2014 Umbrella Movement, the peaceful mass occupation of Hong Kong streets that likewise failed to bring about democracy but kicked off an ongoing period of political contestation. Hongkongers’ appetite for protest appeared to dim after that movement dispersed, but many young protesters redirected their energy toward electoral politics and a number won election to the regional legislature on pro-democracy and ‘localist’ platforms.
Read full article https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/02/18/political-repression-and-authoritarian-legalism-in-hong-kong/
