Hong Kong Two Years After the Mass Protests: What's Next?

Known as the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (Anti-ELAB) Movement, this led to a landslide victory of the Pro-democracy camp in the ... Home Climate&Conflict SecurityDialogue ArcticPolitics MonitoringSouthSudan PRIO.org ProtestsinHongKong,2019.Photo:JonathanvanSmit In 2019,millionsofHongKongcitizenstooktothestreetsto protest aproposedbillthatwouldallowHongKongauthoritiestoextraditesuspectedcriminalstomainlandChina. Theprotests soondevelopedinto a movement,demanding fulluniversalsuffrage,amnestyofarrestedprotestors, andanindependentinquirytoinvestigatepolicebrutality. Known astheAnti-ExtraditionLawAmendmentBill(Anti-ELAB)Movement, this ledtoalandslidevictoryofthePro-democracycampintheDistrictCouncilElection, heldin Novemberthesameyear. Theoutcomessentshockwavesthroughthepoliticalsector,as17outof18districtsflippedfrom“Pro-Beijing”to“Pro-Democracy”. Whilethe2019 social unrest clearlysignaledagrowingfaithindemocracyamongHongKong’scitizens,thecity-statehassufferedmoreinrepressionthanithasgainedinfreedom. WhathashappenedinHongKongsince2019,andcanHongKong’sdemocracy besaved? Aftermath ofthe2019 uprisings:the new security law Thesuccessofthepro-democracycampinthe2019 electionsentaclearmessagetothelocalgovernment, to themainlandauthoritiesand to therestoftheworld: thecitizensofHongKongwantdemocracy.   Immediatelyaftertheannouncementoftheresults,HongKong’sChiefExecutive,CarrieLam,saidthat shewould “listenhumbly”tothevoters’demand . Whilethis raised hopefor democratizationonthe territory,theoptimismwas short-lived. Asthecoronacrisisescalated inJanuary2020 thelarge-scaleprotestswereputonapause.Inthemeantime,theBeijingauthoritiesusedabackdoorinHongKong’sminiconstitution, theBasicLaw,topassahighlycontroversial securitylaw onHongKong,putting HongKong’sdemocraticdevelopmenttoanend.   Earlierthisyear,Beijingmade new changes to theelectoralsystem, ensuringthatonlyBeijing-loyal“patriots”canendupinpositionsofpower  Thenewsecuritylaw implemented 30 June2020, criminalizesanyactthatisperceivedto“endanger thenationalsecurity”. Thelaw contains looselywordedterms,and“endangeringthenationalsecurity”canmeananything,including postingonsocialmedia, andattendingpeacefulprotests. Sincetheimplementationofthelaw,morethan one hundredoppositionfigures,includingactivists,politicians, journalists andstudentshavebeenarrested.  OneofthebiggestblowswasinNovember2020,whenBeijinggrantedHongKong’smainland-friendlyauthorities thepowertoexpellawmakersfornotbeing“loyal”tothe Chineseauthorities.InJanuary2021, 53activistsandformerlawmakerswerearrested for organizing anunofficialelection, duetothepostponementofthelegislativeelectionthatwassupposedtobeheldinSeptember2020. Earlierthisyear,Beijingmade new changes to theelectoralsystem, ensuringthatonlyBeijing-loyal“patriots”canendupinpositionsofpower  Overthepastyear,bookshavebeenremovedfromlibraries, websiteshavebeenblocked frompublicaccess and protest marcheshavebeenbanned.However,one largeoppositionfigurerefusedtobackdown: thenewspaper AppleDaily.   AppleDaily shutsdown Thenewspaper, namedaftertheBible’sforbiddenfruit,hasbeenoneoffewremainingfigures of HongKong’s pro-democracymovement. On 1July 2020,thedayaftertheNational SecurityLaw cameintoeffect, Apple Daily wastheonlynewspapertorun a frontpageopposingthenewlaw, using theheadline “TheenactmentofdraconianlawsignifiestheendofTwoSystems”.  Acouple months later thenewspaper’s leader,JimmyLai,anda handfulofotherjournalistswerearrested. Despite thesearrests,thepaperrefusedtobackdown.Ifanything,it ratherdoubled down,and continuedtoopenlycriticizetheChinesegovernment and accuse thepoliceofabusingtheirpower. When protest marches were outlawed, buying AppleDaily becameoneofthe permitted actsofresistance.   Internationally, therehavebeen variousresponsesto thenewsecuritylaw. The UKhas offered residencyandcitizenshipto HongKongcitizens bornbeforethehandoverin1997. AppleDaily hadmanagedtosurvivethearrestsofitsleader andchiefeditor,and forsome time itseemed thepaperwasgoingto survive. However, on 17 June2021,daysbeforethepaper’s26th anniversary,the governmentfroze AppleDaily’sbankaccounts. The newspaper’s headquarters were raidedby500policeofficers, arrestingfiveexecutivesofthenewspaper. Sixdayslater, AppleDaily announcedclosure. Overnight,theentire archive and thepaper disappearedfromtheInternet, and26yearsofjournalism were wipedout. HongKong’sloudest andclearest remainingvoicefordemocracyandpressfreedomwastherebyshutdown,marking thebeginningof a newera forHongKong.  The road ahead DuringtheBritishhandoverin1997, Beijingpromised itwouldgiveHongKongfiftyyearstokeepits capitalist system andenjoyconsiderablefreedoms, as stated inthe Sino-BritishJointDeclaration of 1984 . However,thesepromisesareclearlyfading,andHongKongisinsteadexperiencing political strangulation. Apparently, China’s CentralGovernment willnotgiveHongKongthefreedomsitwasguaranteedundertheBritishhandover,and theimplementationofa fully-fledged democracyseemsveryunlikely.   Internationally, therehavebeen variousresponsesto thenewsecuritylaw. The UKhas offered residencyandcitizenshipto HongKongcitizens bornbeforethehandoverin1997. TheUS hasimplemented severalsanctions whichpenalize banks that dobusinesswithChineseofficials, and theEuropeanParliament  passedanon-bindingresolution,  callingforEUmemberstatestoadopt“sanctionsandassetfreezesagainstChineseofficialsresponsiblefordevisingandimplementingpoliciesthatviolatehumanrights”. However,Chinadoesnoteasilybackdown inthefaceof internationalpressure,andthere is nosign thatChinawillloosenitsgriponHongKong.   Thisdoesnotmeanthattheinternationalsocietyshoulddonothing. Evenif it can’t saveHongKong,itshouldatleastkeepthespiritoffreedomalive.  As the “Cityof Protests”is being forcedtosilence,therestoftheworld should continuetotellthestoryaboutHongKong, thatHongkongersarenolongerallowedtotell.Thisisclearly stated inAppleDaily’s final farewell on 24June 2021:   “Wehopethateventhoughthisplatform [will] nolongerbearound,thatjournalistscontinuetopursuethetruth.Thanksagaintoallforyoursupport.TothepeopleofHongKong,staystrong.Maywemeetdowntheroad.Goodbye.”Sharethis: Search Search Subscribetoposts Enteryouremailaddresstoreceivenotificationsaboutnewposts. 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