Hong Kong Repression’s True Cost

Click to expand Image A protester is tackled by riot police during a demonstration outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, June 12, 2019. © 2019 AP Photo/Kin Cheung The Hong Kong government’s budget for this year, released on Wednesday, has a new line item: “safeguarding national security.” It carries a price tag of HK$8 billion (USD$1 billion). It also comes on top of a HK$25.8 billion (USD$3.3 billion) budget for policing, a 25 percent increase compared to last year’s budget. No evidence suggests Hong Kong is suddenly awash in bone fide crime. Rather, the dramatic increase follows…

© Human Rights Watch - mercredi 24 février 2021