Hong Kong’s last major opposition party disbanded on Sunday after three decades, a reflection of Beijing’s security crackdown and pressure on the city’s dissenting voices.
The Democratic Party had been marginalized and removed from mainstream politics after China’s 2021 overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system in which only candidates vetted as “patriots” are allowed to run for office.
The vote to dissolve the party came a day before judges are set to deliver a ruling in the national security trial of Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai.
A guilty verdict could trigger outrage abroad. “He is very likely to become a martyr for freedom,” his daughter wrote last week.