Many are also defendants in other cases, including media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who has also been charged under Beijing’s new national security law and denied bail. “In a very difficult situation in Hong Kong, the political retaliation is on us,” said Lee Cheuk-yan, speaking before the verdict. But since the 2019 protests, Beijing has dramatically eroded that constitution and Hong Kong’s freedoms, using the new national security law to target activists and civil society. Beijing this week cut the number of elected legislators in Hong Kong, gave national security police the power to vet them before they stand, and further delayed elections in the territory. Universal suffrage, promised in Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, was a key demand of protesters in 2019.

Source: Washington Post April 01, 2021 03:16 UTC