A Hong Kong court has upheld a ban on two pro-independence lawmakers, a day after the government signalled it would seek to disqualify a third legislator in an unprecedented series of legal challenges. The pair have previously said they plan to take the case to the court of final appeal, Hong Kong’s highest court. Lawmakers must swear allegiance to “the Hong Kong special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China”, according to the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution. The duo’s disqualification hinges on a dramatic swearing-in ceremony in October where they unfurled flags that said “Hong Kong is not China”, declared allegiance to the “Hong Kong nation” and used an expletive to refer to China. In maintaining the ban on Yau and Leung, the judges said “the taking of an oath and pledging of allegiance are serious matters”.

Source: The Guardian November 30, 2016 02:38 UTC