Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Party Disbands Amidst Pressure, Marking Third Closure This Year
The League of Social Democrats, one of Hong Kong’s last major pro-democracy parties, announced its disbandment on Sunday due to immense pressure and the pervasiveness of “red lines.” This decision follows careful deliberation, aimed at averting “consequences” for its members, and arrives just days before the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed national security law. The party, known for its street protests and founded nearly two decades ago, cited the erosion of civil society and suppression of dissent, with its leadership having faced imprisonment and its bank accounts being closed. With the majority of Hong Kong’s political opposition either detained or having fled, the party’s vice-chairman believes it is no longer safe to run a political party, and that the political rights have almost totally disappeared in Hong Kong.
John Q. Hosedrinker