Analysts fear Beijing’s ruling could curtail debate if Hong Kong lawmakers fear legal action
According to the Basic Law interpretation, legislators who breach their oath may lose their immunity and bear legal responsibility
Analysts fear Hong Kong lawmakers could lose their immunity from prosecution for statements made in the chamber after Beijing highlighted that members could bear legal responsibility for acts that violate their oath.
The warning has sparked further concerns over the encroachment on freedom of speech in the Legislative Council as Basic Law Committee chairman Li Fei warned that the notion of Hong Kong self-determination as advocated by some activists amounted to a call for independence that breached the city’s mini-constitution.
The two localist lawmakers set to be disqualified following Beijing’s ruling, Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Baggio Leung Chung-hang, are outspoken proponents of self-determination.
Other newly elected lawmakers, including Eddie Chu Hoi-dick and Nathan Law Kwun-chung, have advocated a less radical form of “democratic self-determination” in which Hongkongers should be given a say on their future but this did not necessarily mean independence.