WHY LAKHS ARE PROTESTING ON THE STREETS IN HONG KONG

Prelims level : International Mains level : GS-II Governance, Social Justice and IR
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Why in News:

  • Hundreds of thousands of people protest in Hong kong against the government’s extradition bill.

More in News:

  • The protesters were marching against proposed changes in the law that would allow suspects accused of crimes such as murder and rape to be extradited to mainland China to face trial. Carrie Lam, who became Chief Executive of Hong Kong in 2017 as the candidate favoured by Beijing, is pushing for the amendments to be passed this month.
  • Once the law is changed, Hong Kong will also handover to China individuals accused of crimes in Taiwan and Macau.
  • Taiwan has a tense relationship with China;
  • Macau, like Hong Kong, is a Chinese special administrative region with significant autonomy.

China Argument:

  • The government has said that the proposed amendments would “plug loopholes” that
    allow the city to be used by criminals.
  • It has assured that courts in Hong Kong would make the final decision on extradition, that only certain categories of suspects would be liable, and that individuals accused of political and religious offences would not be extradited.

Protesters’ Concerns:

  • China may use the changed law to target political opponents in Hong Kong.
  • Critics point to China’s flawed justice system and say extradited suspects would likely face
    torture.
  • Change in the law will deal another blow to Hong Kong’s already crumbling autonomy. Global Response. Human Rights Watch and the International Chamber of Commerce have warned against changing the law.
  • A body of the US Congress has said it would make Hong Kong vulnerable to Chinese “political coercion”, UK and Canada have expressed concern over the potential impact on their citizens in Hong Kong. European Union has issued a formal diplomatic protest note.
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