Is John Lee closing out 2025 in disaster or triumph? His harsh response to November’s tragic fire suggests the latter, at least on the surface. After years spent further tightening Hong Kong’s freedoms under the 2020 National Security Law, he seemed to seize the moment. Much quieter outrage from Hong Kong’s now incredibly beleaguered civil society? Tick. Media coverage now largely aligned with the government narrative and fixated on the role of bamboo? Tick. A heavy-handed crackdown on the few who dared to speak out, including petitions shut down, conferences targeted and organisers arrested? Tick, tick, tick. Even foreign journalists, once relatively insulated from the city’s authoritarian drift, found themselves threatened over how they reported on the fire.
The case against Lee doesn’t end there though. The year 2025 has brought the show trial of Jimmy Lai, it’s brought fresh revelations about the torture of the many thousands of political prisoners and the denial of their basic health needs. It’s brought news of the targeting of artists. The cancellation of playwright Candace Chong’s show just before tickets went on sale was a particular low point. It’s brought Legislative Council elections where only candidates vetted as pro-China (“patriots”) were allowed to stand. For a city once regarded as the most free in Asia, it’s looking pretty un-free under Lee.
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