Hong Kong Pro-Independence Party Formally Outlawed in First Such Move Since Handover

Hong Kong Pro-Independence Party Formally Outlawed in First Such Move Since Handover
Andy Chan, founder of the Hong Kong National Party, speaks during a luncheon at the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) in Hong Kong, China on Aug. 14, 2018. Paul Yeung/Reuters
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HONG KONG–Hong Kong authorities formally banned a group that’s promoting independence from China—the first outlawing of a political organization since Britain handed its former colony back to Chinese rule in 1997.
John Lee, the city’s secretary for security, announced the banning of the Hong Kong National Party in a brief statement published in the government’s gazette on Sept. 24, 10 days after the party submitted arguments against the move.