HK’s biggest prodemocracy party votes to disband
HONG KONG—Hong Kong’s biggest prodemocracy party voted on Sunday to dissolve after more than 30 years of activism, marking the end of an era of the Chinese semiautonomous city’s once-diverse political landscape.
Democratic Party chair Lo Kin-hei said about 97 percent of members’ ballots were in support of its liquidation and it is the best way forward for its members.
“Yet as the times have shifted, we now, with deep regret, must bring this chapter to a close,” he said.
Lo earlier said the decision to move toward disbandment was made based on the current political situation and social climate.
But party veterans told The Associated Press (AP) that some members were warned of consequences if the party didn’t shut down. Its demise reflects the dwindling freedoms promised to the former British colony when it returned to China’s rule in 1997.
China imposed a national security law in June 2020, following massive antigovernment protests the year before, saying it was necessary for the city’s stability.
Under the law, many leading activists, including the Democratic Party’s former chairs Albert Ho and Wu Chi-wai and other former lawmakers, were arrested. Jimmy Lai, founder of the prodemocracy Apple Daily newspaper, was also charged under the law.
Lai will hear his verdict on Monday.
Apple Daily was one of the vocal independent outlets shut down over the past five years.
Dozens of civil society groups have also closed, including the second-largest prodemocracy party, Civic Party and a group that organized annual Tiananmen Square vigils.
