Hong Kong court disqualifies 4 lawmakers over oath taking
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HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court on Friday disqualified four opposition lawmakers from office for having turned their oath-taking into apparent protests against Beijing, further entrenching the central government’s hold over the legislature.
The Chinese territory’s Court of First Instance ruled the four had not been sincere when they altered their oaths, and declared their seats vacant.
That followed the government’s successful move last year to disqualify two other young lawmakers who used an anti-China slur as a form of protest while being sworn in.
The four lawmakers put their own spin on their oaths in various ways during the Oct. 12, 2016, ceremony. Nathan Law, a student activist who helped lead massive 2014 pro-democracy street protests, raised his tone when he came to mention the People’s Republic of China, making the words sound like a question.
