Overview

• The League of Social Democrats formally disbanded on June 29, leaving Hong Kong without any organized pro-democracy party.
• Party leaders cited “immense political pressure” from Beijing’s 2020 security law, which was strengthened in 2024 to criminalize subversion.
• The tightened legislation carries penalties of up to life imprisonment for activities deemed threats to state security.
• Founder Leung Kwok Hung and several senior activists remain jailed on subversion charges, restricting the movement’s capacity.
• China defends the security measures as necessary for stability, while the US and UK criticize them as tools to silence dissent.