#twitter finally unfrozen my account after almost half a year? freeze for just because I retweet a number of posts in short period of time? Is this really proper reason?
#BREAKING: Pro-democracy activists Lester Shum and Tiffany Yuen and politicians Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Tat Cheng and Kwok Ka-ki are barred from contesting in the upcoming legislative election, local media report, and as many as 12 people are disqualified. #HongKongProtests
Political scientist Simon Shen projects that if the delay is really the case, the chief executive could set an interim legislature that is similar to the Provisional Legco from 1997-98 and likely excludes the disqualified lawmakers.
Patten: "This is an outrageous political purge of HK's democrats. The National Security law is being used to disenfranchise the majority of HK's citizens.”
“It is obviously now illegal to believe in democracy, although this was what Beijing promised..."
https://t.co/GifjnhdSzj
Mass barring of pro-democracy legislators from running in LegCo elections (which may be delayed anyway). Not surprising, but also death knell for any pretense HK had to even a semi democratic system.
Also: HK Govt statement says candidates must show an intention not only to “uphold” the Basic Law but also “to support, promote & embrace it”. Not only is this just plain silly (“embrace”?) but the insistence on blind loyalty precludes any critique of the law. More importantly...
This is quite jaw-dropping: according to HK Govt statement, unacceptable behaviors for a candidate include “EXPRESSING AN OBJECTION IN PRINCIPLE to the enactment of the National Security Law by the NPC SC” (caps added) https://t.co/OeYqvaBIPC
Head of EU Parliament delegation for the relations with China calls for sanctions on Carrie Lam and returning officers over #HongKong Legco candidates disqualifications today
🇭🇰 JUST IN: Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong @joshuawongcf is among those barred from upcoming Hong Kong legislative elections, SCMP reports. More @business: https://t.co/x5x9AK0Uzf #香港
It is not democracy, if the government decides, which opposition candidates are allowed. At least 12 Hong Kong opposition candidates barred from Legislative Council bids.
https://t.co/kO71CVahjG
#UPDATE Leading Hong Kong democracy campaigners were disqualified on Thursday from upcoming legislative elections after four student activists were arrested for social media posts, sparking warnings of a new "terror" under authoritarian China https://t.co/CgEOzmIiM0