Hong Kong (CNN) Students and lecturers at Hong Kong 's most prestigious university returned from summer break this month to a very different institution. The self-censorship began after June last year when Beijing imposed a controversial and sweeping national security law on the city. Sarah Cook, Freedom House's research director for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, said political discussion at Hong Kong universities was once as free as at Western institutions. During that meeting, staff asked whether they could still teach about topics such as democracy in Hong Kong, Amy said. But now, people who have dedicated their lives to making Hong Kong University a world-class institution think Beijing and the Hong Kong government don't care about academic freedoms, Cook said.

Source: CNN September 19, 2021 00:33 UTC