With mass arrests, running for office in Hong Kong is now not only futile, it can be criminal

Sun, 17 Jan 2021 05:44:05 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/with-mass-arrests-running-for-office-in-hong-kong-is-now-not-only-futile-it-can-be-criminal-152755>

"Nearly overshadowed by the chaos in the US this week was a dramatic
escalation of the crackdown on pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.

Authorities arrested more than 50 pro-democracy figures in early morning
raids under the territory’s six-month-old national security law. The
opposition lawmakers, activists and lawyers were accused of subversion
for holding primaries for pro-democracy candidates for Hong Kong elections.

The Beijing-drafted law has previously been used to target protesters
and the independent media in Hong Kong, but this week’s mass arrests
marked a sobering turning point for the city.

They make political participation in Hong Kong not just futile but
dangerous, and are likely to render the Legislative Council a rubber
stamp along the lines of the National People’s Congress in Beijing,
which has never challenged an initiative of China’s ruling party."

Cheers,
        *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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