Hong Kong protesters hold a demonstration at a Pacific Place shopping center in the Admiralty district one year after thousands blocked access to the Legislative Council before it debated legislation about allowing extradition to China.
The now-withdrawn “Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019” — proposed by Hong Kong’s government in February — covers mainland China and other jurisdictions that don’t have extradition agreements with Hong Kong. It was sparked by the case of a Hong Kong man who was accused of murdering his girlfriend in Taiwan, but couldn’t be sent there for trial because there’s no legal framework. The Hong Kong government says the proposed law would ensure the city doesn’t become a haven for suspected criminals.
Opponents said the law could open the door for anyone — including political dissidents or civil rights activists — who runs afoul of the Chinese government to be arrested on trumped-up charges in Hong Kong and sent to the mainland, where they would face what the U.S. State Department called China’s “capricious legal system.” The law would apply to Hong Kong citizens, foreign residents and even people passing through on business or as tourists. Critics noted the draft bill assigned to the city’s chief executive — chosen by a committee stacked with Beijing supporters — the leading role in handling extradition requests; currently the legislature can block extraditions. The government said it amended the bill to protect human rights and ensure suspects aren’t extradited for political offenses.