Hello folks! How have you been? We hope you are safe and sound in these vicious times in a Pandemic.
Today we bring to you a power packed informative article on Hong Kong Protests that have shaken the areas political roots and is a major news piece this year.
The protests started in June 2019 against a government bill allowing extradition (Fugitive Offenders amendment bill) to nations that had no previous extradition deals with Hong Kong. The considerations for such a bill started when a Hong Kong citizen allegedly killed his pregnant girlfriend in Taiwan (another country having no extradition treaty with China or Hong Kong).
If the bill passed, that accused would have been extradited to Taiwan and it would have led to similar extraditions to mainland China. The protestors are critical of reduced autonomy and freedom restrictions. They feared that the extradition bill will lead to extradition of dissidents of China’s communist regime, which in turn will hamper the rights of the people (ex: Freedom of speech, gathering, among many).
HONG KONG’S HISTORY
Hong Kong was ruled by Britain as a colony till 1997, after that, the British government handed over the colony to China by an arrangement known as “one country, two systems”. Under this system, citizens of Hong Kong got much greater autonomy and freedoms than their counterparts in mainland China.
Hong Kong has its own judiciary and laws, separate of China. According to this arrangement, these laws were to expire in 2047 and it is not clear what will happen after 2047. But China has been adamant to reduce Hong Kong’s autonomy and assimilate it into its own legal and political system. Most of the youngsters in Hong Kong are against this and want to continue in “one country, two systems” policy, if not full democracy.
China has tried many times to bring a number of laws to further these goals, and every time, protests have erupted against these laws.
THE 2019-20 PROTEST
The bill was first introduced in April and protest against it erupted. It was later withdrawn in September but protests continued and escalated, as fears mounted of the bills revival amid China’s bid for much greater control over Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous territory.
In the protest an 18 year old protestor was killed in police firing, and a pro-China leader was stabbed by the protestors. In November local council elections were held where Pro-democracy (and anti – China) leaders won 17 of total 18 seats.
Ms Carrie Lam, the leader of Hong Kong (#1 Official) who introduced the bill, later withdrew it.
Even after the withdrawal of the bill, the protest has continued. Protestors are asking for greater autonomy, democracy and an independent inquiry for the alleged Police brutality they suffered during the protests. Nearly 2 million (20 lakh) protestors came out on the streets against the bill.
The protest grew and they have put up 5 demands to the authorities, but only the first has been granted:
- Fully withdraw the extradition bill1.
- Independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.
- Retract the categorization of previous protests as “riots.”
- Amnesty2 for arrested protesters.
- Introduction of full universal suffrage3.
THE CURRENT SCENARIO
On June 30, China passed a national security law for Hong Kong that gives China new powers over Hong Kong concerning cases of: secession, subversion against the central Chinese government, terrorist activities, and collusion4 with foreign forces to endanger national security.
It gives sweeping powers to the Chinese regime to crackdown on protestors, human rights activists and pro-democracy activists. More than 6000 protestors have been arrested since last year and the number is still increasing.
So, now we’re aware with these Protests. In our next blog, we will be discussing other current issues of national and international importance. If you don’t want to miss out on the next important blog, click here!
Thank You!
NOTE:
1. Extradition Bill: Extradition means sending someone back to the country or state, where they’ve been accused of a crime. For example, if an Indian Citizen commits a crime in Britain, since India and Britain has an extradition treaty, he will be extradited to Britain and face the criminal charges there.
2. Amnesty: An official pardon for people who have been convicted of political offences.
3. Universal Adult suffrage: The right of all adults to vote in political elections, irrespective of their caste, creed, religion or gender.
4. Collusion: A secret agreement between two or more parties to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading or defrauding others of their legal rights, or to obtain an objective forbidden by law.
