Beijing’s Crackdown Runs Into Hong Kong’s Rule of Law
Pushback against politically motivated prosecutions is emerging from lawyers, judges, and the principles of Hong Kong’s common law system itself.
January 27, 2021
Police detain protesters after a protest in Causeway Bay before the annual handover march in Hong Kong, Wednesday, July. 1, 2020.
Credit: AP Photo/Kin Cheung
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Even as the Hong Kong government is increasing penalties for political speech and civic activism, including under the National Security Law enacted last June, the authorities are encountering some constraints on their ability to run roughshod over Hong Kong’s long-respected legal system.