China moves to squeeze Hong Kong’s freedoms

ANNOUNCING THE biggest shake-up of her cabinet since an explosion of unrest last year, Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, tried to sound confident. A major goal of the reshuffle on April 22nd, she said, was to “help Hong Kong get out of this difficult situation as soon as possible”.

She was referring to the economic crisis caused by covid-19. But Hong Kongers have political worries, too. In recent days several prominent democrats have been arrested, and the central government has rejected what had been widely regarded as a constitutional restraint on its behaviour in Hong Kong. Political turmoil—which had appeared to ebb in recent weeks—looks set to flare anew. The changes to Ms Lam’s team will not reduce tensions.

Since June 2019, when protests erupted over a since-abandoned extradition law, more than 7,000 people have been arrested for taking part in the riots and unauthorised demonstrations that roiled the territory for the rest of the year. But no round-up by the police has caused as much shock as the one on April 18th, during which 15 of Hong Kong’s best-known campaigners for democracy were charged with promoting, organising and joining illegal demonstrations. Among them were Martin Lee, a barrister and former legislator who is often called the “father” of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, and Jimmy Lai (...