Beijing is continuing to come down hard on Hong Kong’s freewheeling 7.5 million citizens with the expulsion on Oct. 5 of Financial Times Asia News Editor Victor Mallet, the outlawing of a pro-independence political party, disbarring of elected opposition lawmakers from the Legislative Council for faulty oath-taking, and denial of a former student leader to contest a by-election. All levers of executive power are being utilized to block opposition voices. The judiciary is roundly criticized for being too lenient and not sufficiently playing the role of enforcers.
Hong Kong On the Totalitarian Grease Pole
Beijing is continuing to come down hard on Hong Kong’s freewheeling 7.5 million citizens with the expulsion on Oct. 5 of Financial Times Asia News Editor Victor Mallet, the outlawing of a pro-independence political party, disbarring of elected opposition lawmakers from the Legislative Council for faulty oath-taking, and denial of a former student leader to contest a by-election. All levers of executive power are being utilized to block opposition voices. The judiciary is roundly criticized for being too lenient and not sufficiently playing the role of enforcers.
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