- Title: Timeline of Hong Kong's politics, on six month mark of anti-government protests
- Date: 9th December 2019
- Summary: A Hong Kong court jailed three leaders of the Chinese-ruled city's democracy movement for six to eight months in August 2017, dealing a blow to the youth-led push for universal suffrage and prompting accusations of political interference. Joshua Wong, 20, Alex Chow, 26, and Nathan Law, 24, were sentenced in 2016 to non-jail terms including community service for unlawful assembly, but the Department of Justice in the former British colony applied for a review, seeking imprisonment. HONG KONG, CHINA (FILE - JULY 21, 2016) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF STUDENT LEADERS (LEFT TO RIGHT) JOSHUA WONG, NATHAN LAW AND ALEX CHOW CHANTING SLOGANS The Hong Kong government on January 23, presented a controversial bill to lawmakers that prescribes jail terms of up to three years for disrespecting the Chinese national anthem, a move critic say raises fresh fears over freedom of expression in the city. Outside the legislative building, small groups of pro-democracy and pro-Beijing protesters taunted each other. HONG KONG, CHINA (FILE - JANUARY 23, 2019) (REUTERS) HONG KONG EMBLEM INSIDE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL LEGISLATURE SESSION IN PROGRESS PAN-DEMOCRAT LAWMAKER SEATED WITH SIGN ON BENCH READING (Chinese): "OPPOSE NATIONAL ANTHEM LAW - SUPPRESSION OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH" VARIOUS OF PRO-GOVERNMENT PROTESTERS CONFRONTING ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTERS OUTSIDE LEGCO Hong Kong's leaders launched laws on April 3, 2019 to change extradition rules to allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial. The move comes in the face of growing opposition as many fear it could further erode the city's legal protections. HONG KONG, CHINA (FILE - APRIL 3, 2019) (REUTERS) SCREEN READING (English) "FUGITIVE OFFENDERS AND MUTUAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE IN CRIMINAL MATTERS LEGISLATION (AMENDMENT) BILL 2019 - FIRST READING AND SECOND READING" LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL PRESIDENT ANDREW LEUNG SEATED OPPOSITION PAN-DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS SHOUTING WHILE BANGING TABLE OPPOSITION PAN-DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS SEATED WHILE COUNCIL SESSION IN PROGRESS
- Embargoed: 23rd December 2019 04:29
- Keywords: China Hong Kong Occupy Sino-British Joint Declaration Umbrella anniversary extradition handover one country protests two systems
- Location: HONG KONG / SHENZHEN, GUANGDONG PROVINCE / BEIJING, CHINA
- City: HONG KONG / SHENZHEN, GUANGDONG PROVINCE / BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: Hong Kong
- Topics: Government/Politics,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA00FB99TOW7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: December 19th marks the 35th anniversary of the signing of an agreement by China and Britain over Hong Kong, which laid the blueprint over how the city would be ruled after its return to China in 1997.
The Sino-British Joint Declaration, signed on December 19, 1984 by then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang, laid out how Britain would end its century-and-a-half long rule over Hong Kong. It also guarantees the city's rights and freedoms under the "two systems" formula.
Under Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, Hong Kong was guaranteed its freedoms for "at least 50 years" after 1997.
This year, Hong Kong has been rocked by six months of sometimes violent unrest in the biggest challenge to Chinese stability since the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989.
The protesters' demands include universal suffrage, an investigation into alleged police brutality and an end to Beijing's perceived efforts to undermine democratic freedoms promised when the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997.
China denies interfering in Hong Kong's affairs and says it is committed to the "one country, two systems" formula enshrined at the handover and guaranteeing the territory a high degree of autonomy. Beijing blames foreign countries including the United States for inciting unrest.
(Production: Phyllis Xu) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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