Hong Kong: Extradition reforms mobilize angry protesters

Hong Kong's busy shopping streets were packed with protesters angry at plans by the city's pro-Beijing government to allow extraditions to China. The proposals have sparked the biggest public backlash in years, bringing out several hundred thousand residents and prompting a huge security operation.

Several students wore chains and prison clothes to symbolize their opposition to the new legislation. The prospect of renditions to mainland China is a step too far for pro-democracy campaigners, who have demanded that Hong Kong keep the autonomy and freedoms guaranteed when the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997.

The changes to extradition rules are meant to simplify the process for suspects to be transferred between Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and mainland China — as well as other countries where there is no extradition treaty. But opponents of the plan are concerned about the fairness and transparency of the Chinese court system and the risk of charges being contrived against Beijing's dissenters.

Many protesters carried red banners depicting the faces of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and Secretary for Security John Lee, alongside slogans demanding they step down. One protester held a sign reading "Carry off Carrie." Lam has tweaked the proposals but has refused to withdraw the bill, saying it is vital to plug a long-standing "loophole."

The government has attempted to address criticism by reducing the number of offenses eligible for extradition — removing nine economic crimes — as well as limiting the new law to offenses that carry prison sentences of seven years or more. The measure is also only applicable on a case-by-case basis. Requests will only be considered from China's top prosecuting authority.

Opposition to the proposed legislation has mobilized several sections of Hong Kong's community, including usually pro-establishment business people, lawyers, students, pro-democracy figures and religious groups. Many people told the international media on Sunday that this was their first time attending a protest. Outspoken pro-democracy activists, meanwhile, warned they may have to flee abroad.

Similar protests took place all over the world, including in Taipei, London, New York and Chicago. More than 1,000 demonstrators rallied in Sydney on Sunday in opposition to the plan, worried at the prospect that expatriates could be seized by Chinese authorities as they travel through Hong Kong. Foreign governments have also criticized the new law.