Date Thursday 26 March 2026
Time 11:15 – 12:30 hour (GMT+1)
How does the rule of law survive under growing authoritarian pressure? And what role can legal professionals play when courts, laws, and institutions are increasingly politicized?
We invite you to an upcoming meeting on the struggle for the rule of law in Hong Kong, inspired by the book Legal Resistance Under Authoritarianism: The Struggle for the Rule of Law in Hong Kong by Yan-ho Lai.
The discussion explores how Hong Kong’s legal system has been steadily reshaped since the 1997 handover, long before the National Security Law marked a dramatic turning point in 2020. Based on extensive fieldwork, Lai examines the fraught relationship between legal professionals, political authorities, and the state during key moments such as the 2014 Umbrella Movement and the 2019 Anti-Extradition Bill protests. His research highlights how a small but determined group of lawyers and judges sought to defend legal principles and resist authoritarian encroachment—even under severe pressure.
Target group
Anyone interested in China, law studies an authoritarian regimes is welcome.
Eric Yan-Ho Lai, PhD
Senior Fellow, Center for Asian Law, Georgetown University Law Center
Website:https://www.
