Jimmy Lai, a symbol of the end of freedom in Hong Kong

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/50659763

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This fate mirrors that of several dissidents in mainland China, evidence, if any were needed, of the flattening of political differences inherited from history. Human rights lawyer Xu Zhiyong was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2023; Uyghur intellectual Ilham Tohti to life imprisonment in 2014; and citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who dared to publish videos from Wuhan at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, to two consecutive four-year terms.

All are subject to a regime that has become increasingly harsh under Xi Jinping's rule. From Beijing's perspective, the operation in Hong Kong has been a success. After the 1997 handover of the former British colony to China, residents could for a time believe that respect for its distinctive traits – freedom of expression and protest, local elections – might serve as a showcase to persuade Taiwan to move closer to mainland China.

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