THE ONGOING SITUATION
September 17, 2019
During the summer of 2019, mass protests arose throughout the city, leading to numerous injuries and arrests. Nevertheless, the unrest persists.
The recent pro-democracy uprising that has filled the streets of Hong Kong spurred as a response to proposed amendments to Hong Kong’s extradition law. The case of a man from Hong Kong accused of brutally strangling his pregnant girlfriend to death and shoving her body in a suitcase while in Taiwan prompted the amendments to the law. Because Hong Kong does not currently have a formal extradition treaty with Taiwan, the man could not be sent back to face trial. This case pushed the Hong Kong government to consider extending extradition treaties with other countries, including mainland China, a country known for imprisoning its people for even the smallest infractions. Worried that China would abuse the treaty by detaining citizens of Hong Kong who openly advocate for human rights issues or blatantly disapprove of the Chinese government, many people opposed the government’s decision to move forward with amendments to the extradition bill.
From peaceful demonstrations, strikes across different professional fields, and group vandalism to violent outbreaks on the streets, Hong Kong has seen it all just this past summer. What started as a widespread pushback against an extradition bill has now expanded to demand complete democracy.