Marchers protest legal changes in Hong Kong

Tens of thousands of people crowded the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday to peacefully protest proposed amendments to the territory’s extradition law. Protesters held placards accusing Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam of selling out, while others carried yellow umbrellas to commemorate pro-democracy demonstrations in 2014. Hong Kong police said about 22,800 people took part in the protest at its peak period.

The proposed amendments would make it easier to send criminal suspects to Taiwan and China, where they could face unfair trials. Officials plan to change the law before July to send a murder suspect to Taiwan. In a concessionary move to local businesses, the administration exempted nine commercial crimes and said it would not grant extradition if a suspect could face torture, the death penalty, or a political charge. But protesters said it wasn’t enough.

“Creating a loophole that could mean a Hong Kong person gets extradited to China to face prosecution there, that completely destroys the guarantee of human rights and legal protection of one country, two systems,” marcher Roland Lo said.

Last week, a Hong Kong court sentenced eight leaders of the pro-democracy demonstrations, also known as the Umbrella Movement, to up to 16 months in prison.