The track record of candidates for public office in Hong Kong will be investigated, said the head of justice on Saturday, after China announce a radical overhaul to ensure that only “patriots” run the city.

Beijing on Tuesday imposed sweeping changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system, the latest step in the crackdown on the city’s democracy movement, following the massive and often violent protests in 2019.

The latest amendments to the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, have ensured that the majority of lawmakers are selected by a credible pro-Beijing committee, and that all candidates are vetted by national security agents.

Hong Kong Attorney General Teresa Cheng told public broadcaster RTHK that the committee will examine “all material related to the candidates,” including anything “suspected of having affected their loyalty and loyalty.”

Cheng said there were no restrictions on what could be reviewed.

Chinese leaders have acted decisively to tighten their grip on the international financial center, dismantling Hong Kong’s limited democratic pillars following massive protests that erupted two years ago.

Last year they imposed a national security law that outlawed much of the dissent.

Dozens of activists have been prosecuted or jailed since then, quelling protests in a city that had enjoyed greater political freedoms than the authoritarian continent under the “One Country, Two Systems” agreement.

Categorized in:

Tagged in:

,