Overview

• The League of Social Democrats formally disbanded on June 29, marking the end of any organised pro-democracy party in the city.
• Leaders cited years of national security legislation and successive bank account closures that left the group without funds or safe avenues for activism.
• Its closure follows the Civic Party’s 2023 dissolution and the Democratic Party’s winding-down earlier this year under similar pressures.
• Since 2020, Beijing-backed security laws, including the 2024 Article 23 framework, have criminalised dissent and led to high-profile sentences for activists such as Leung Kwok-hung and Jimmy Sham.
• With no formal opposition left, public demonstrations have all but disappeared as fears of prosecution and financial sanctions deter civic engagement.