Police say dozens of Hong Kong protesters detained during recent clashes will be charged with rioting — an offence that carries a jail term of up to ten years — as the finance hub’s embattled pro-Beijing leaders crack down on weeks of demonstrations.
Hong Kong has been hit by seven weeks of mass protest rallies -- some of which have ended in violence -- triggered by a controversial bill which would have allowed extraditions to mainland China. They have evolved into calls for wider democratic reforms and a halt to sliding freedoms in the most significant challenge to Beijing’s rule since the city’s 1997 handover.
Recent weeks have seen a dramatic surge in the level of violence used by both protesters and police who have repeatedly fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse projectile-throwing crowds.