PhotoHONG KONG — Hong Kong has disqualified a 21-year-old democracy advocate from running for the local legislature, the latest in a series of young politicians to be barred from public office over their resistance to the Chinese government’s authority over the city. The pro-democracy party Demosisto said on Saturday that election authorities had barred its candidate, Agnes Chow, from running in a March by-election, in which Hong Kong voters will decide on members of the Legislative Council. Sign Up You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. “To bar anyone from running in elections purely because of their peaceful political stance is a violation of their basic human rights to stand for elections,” Ms. Wang said. “The Beijing and Hong Kong governments have redoubled efforts to undermine the already limited electoral rights people have in Hong Kong.”Demosisto advocates that a referendum be held to determine Hong Kong’s future after 2047, the year when China’s promise to allow the city civil liberties and considerable autonomy expires.

Source: New York Times January 27, 2018 07:08 UTC