Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC)
Note: HKDC operates from diaspora in Washington DC. It is included here because its work is specifically about a particular governance system — the accountability structures promised to Hong Kong under One Country, Two Systems — rather than general human rights documentation.
The Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC) advocates for the restoration of democratic elections and accountable governance in Hong Kong, framed around the governance commitments China made under One Country, Two Systems when Hong Kong was handed over in 1997. The 2020 National Security Law and subsequent electoral reforms fundamentally altered Hong Kong's political structure, replacing competitive elections with an appointment-dominated system.
HKDC's case is specifically about holding China to its own stated commitments — the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law both included specific governance structures that were agreed upon and subsequently altered.
Links
- Website: hkdc.us
See also
History
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2019-09-17
Founded in Washington, DC amid the 2019 Hong Kong protests
Sourcing: High
It was founded on September 17, 2019, amid massive protests in Hong Kong that saw millions of people marching on the streets in opposition to an unpopular plan to establish extradition arrangements between Hong Kong and China proposed by then-Chief Executive Carrie Lam.
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2020-01-01
Helps secure US congressional passage of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy, PROTECT Hong Kong, and Autonomy Acts
Sourcing: High
the HKDC team pushed for the successful passage of several landmark pieces of legislation: the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, the PROTECT Hong Kong Act of 2019, and the Hong Kong Autonomy Act of 2020.
Legislation passed and signed into US law over 2019–2020; the flagship Human Rights and Democracy Act became law in November 2019.
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2021-01-01
Sponsors the first humanitarian parole visas for Hong Kong protesters
Sourcing: High
In January 2021, HKDC assisted in the rescue of five Hong Kong protesters, aged 18–26 who fled by boat to Taiwan in July 2020 soon after the national security law was imposed, by sponsoring the first set of humanitarian parole visas to the US.
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