Protesters In Hong Kong Push Back On Beijing

This week, protesters filled the streets of Hong Kong to push back on a proposed bill.

CNN reports the “law would allow Hong Kong to extradite fugitives to territories where it doesn’t have formal extradition deals — including mainland China.”

Opposition leaders suggest the measure could be dangerous. When suspects are deported to mainland China, judges there are required to follow the laws of the Communist Party, which could be risky for journalists and political activists, among other groups.

But The New York Times reports that one of the proposed law’s supporters is Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam.

[She] has said the new law is urgently needed to prosecute a Hong Kong man who is wanted in Taiwan for the murder of his girlfriend. But the authorities in Taiwan, a self-governed island claimed by Beijing, say they would not agree to the extradition arrangement because it would treat Taiwan as part of China.

The police fired tear gas and used pepper spray, rubber bullets, bean-bag rounds and batons on these protesters. Amnesty International has called the use of force “excessive,” and issued a call for the police to stop the violence.

The proposal is likely to pass, because pro-Beijing lawmakers hold 43 of the legislature's 70 seats, according to The Times.

We bring you the latest, plus context on Hong Kong’s fraught relationship with mainland China.

GUESTS

Anthony Kuhn, International correspondent based in Beijing, China, NPR; @akuhnNPRnews

For more, visit https://the1a.org.

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