[ot-caption title=”Riot policemen use pepper spray to disperse protestors, early Saturday, September 27, 2014. (AP Photo/Apple Daily)” url=”https://pcpawprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/featuredhk.jpg”]

In the past two weeks, the citizens of Hong Kong have taken to the streets in protest of Beijing’s recent decision to limit voting rights for Hong Kong voters.

Although it is not an independent nation, Hong Kong has a large degree of autonomy from the Chinese government in an agreement known as “one country, two systems”; its economy largely functions on its own, it has its own independent legal system, and it grants more protection of free speech than the central Chinese government.

Hong Kong citizens were promised the right to vote for their own chief executive in the 2017 elections by the Chinese government; however, the National People’s Congress passed a decision last month that required all potential executive candidates to be pre-approved by a committee aligned with the Chinese Communist Party, thereby limiting all candidates to Beijing loyalists.

This decision sparked the protests, led by student organizations like Scholarism and the Hong Kong Federation of Students, who claim that the interference from Beijing violated their promised voting rights. On September 13, 2014, Scholarism members demonstrated outside the Central Government Offices and organized a class boycott, with around 100 to 200 protestors demonstrating in Civic Square.

[ot-caption title=”Hong Kong students wear masks with crosses during a silent protest near Hong Kong government headquarters in Hong Kong, Sept. 23, 2014. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)” url=”https://pcpawprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/AP883203945053.jpg”]

Joshua Wong, a student activist and founder of Scholarism, was arrested during the protest in Civic Square, in which he urged the crowd to seize the area. The crowd was forcibly dispersed soon after by the police.

News of Wong’s arrest spread through social media, creating an outcry and bringing more students to the protests at CITIC Tower and the Central Government Offices. At this point, police began using pepper spray and tear gas to force the protestors to leave; these acts of violence invoked public anger and caused thousands of citizens to join the pro-democracy movement.

Wong was held by authorities for two nights before being granted release through a habeas corpus petition.

[ot-caption title=”Joshua Wong speaks to pro-democracy activists, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014 in Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)” url=”https://pcpawprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/AP849018569761.jpg”]

On October 2, 2014, thousands of demonstrators amassed outside the office of Hong Kong chief executive CY Leung, demanding that he step down from office and calling for the National People’s Congress to withdraw its decision to interfere in Hong Kong elections.

Leung has refused to resign from his position, claiming that he has to “to continue with the work for elections.” He did not meet with the protestors despite their threats to escalate the demonstrations.  Instead, he assigned a deputy to deal with the situation.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has warned foreign governments not to intervene in China, issuing the statement, “Hong Kong affairs are China’s internal affairs … All countries should respect China’s sovereignty and this is a basic principle of governing international relations.”

Sources: New York Times, Boston Globe, The Guardian, BBC News, Epoch Times