ISLAMABAD: The first protest in two years has taken place in Hong Kong under close monitoring by police.
The rally was the first since Beijing imposed sweeping bans on the rights and freedoms of citizens living in the territory.
Only 100 citizens were allowed to attend. They were required to wear number tags, and their posters were examined in advance. The march was against a land reclamation plan in the city’s east.
Police monitor organizers
Police required organizers to follow stringent conditions and surrounded the protesters with a cordon that kept media and protesters separated. The marchers were allowed to chant slogans against the project.
An anonymous attendee told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the arrangements were “ridiculous”. He said that “I’m here to join a march, not a shame parade”. Another commented the measures under which they were allowed to hold the march amounted to “intimidation.”
Hong Kong is the Special Administrative Region of China. Under its “one state, two systems” principle, residents are supposed to enjoy certain freedoms unavailable on the mainland – and Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, guarantees the right to public assembly.
But these rights had eroded since 2020 when China imposed a national security law in response to the months-long Hong Kong protests against China’s control in 2019.
China said the law was needed to bring stability to the city – but critics said it was designed to squash dissent and weaken Hong Kong’s autonomy.
