Barring Radical Candidates Hurts Hong Kong Autonomy, Lawyers Say
- Facebook posts get legislature hopeful disqualified from race
- Government blocks contenders who back independence from China
A protester holds up a yellow umbrella, a symbol of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, during during a visit by China's National People's Congress Standing Committee Chairman Zhang Dejiang in Hong Kong in May 2016.
Photographer: Aaron Tam/AFP via Getty ImagesSome Hong Kong lawyers are warning the government’s push to block radical candidates from seeking legislative seats could undermine the city’s promised autonomy from China.
Local election officials have turned down the candidacies of six would-be lawmakers on grounds they supported independence from China, a position the government deems illegal. The move raised questions about freedom of expression in the former British colony after the government cited a candidate’s social media posts and press statements, saying he was insincere in renouncing his pro-independence stance.