The power of civil society

Even illiberal rulers bow to united and sustained opposition

In an age of illiberal democracy, it is worth noting that there are still methods by which civil society can exert pressure on powerful ruling establishments. There have been two recent examples of the dubious use of law to violate human rights. One comes from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and one from the Russian Federation. Both have had, of a sort, a happy ending.

Hong Kong has been wracked by protests for some weeks against a proposal by its government for a new law that would permit extradition to mainland China for Hong Kong residents. The government of Hong Kong, which is not elected by universal suffrage but by an electoral college of 1,200 people, many of whom being closely tied to Beijing, insisted that the point of the law was not to allow extradition to the People’s Republic of China per se. The stated justification was, in fact, a murder case involving a Taiwanese national. But the government of the Republic of China, or Taiwan, rejected the law as violating its own sovereignty. Thus, the government of Hong Kong found its fig leaf of justification had gone astray. In the event, few believed the Hong Kong government or its chief executive, Carrie Lam. Most viewed the law as allowing the Beijing government to clamp down on freedoms in Hong Kong, particularly on political dissidents. Naturally there was great fear and trepidation, which culminated in mass protests not seen in Hong Kong since the time of the so called umbrella movement some years ago. In the end, the pressure on the government was successful. Faced with mounting concern in the word press and from business interests concerned about the future of Hong Kong as an investment paradise, the Hong Kong government had to suspend the law. Protestors are still not satisfied, however, and on Sunday they gathered in order to try and force the resignation of Ms Lam, who they saw as having betrayed Hong Kong on behalf of Beijing.
 

At least in Hong Kong there is a long tradition of protest and assembly; For Russia under President Vladimir Putin the same cannot be said. And yet, even there, the power of protest had made itself visible. After the crusading anti-corruption journalist Ivan Golunov was arrested by the police on drug charges, which appeared fabricated, the government found it had overreached itself. This came after 400 people were arrested in central Moscow following a demonstration that included many journalists. Several newspapers also put the slogan “We are Golunov” on their front pages, which was also the slogan on several placards at the demonstration. The main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was also arrested. Mr Putin himself appeared to have stepped in, with Mr Golunov being released on Live state-controlled television and news that senior police officials might be fired. Again the protestors are not entirely satisfied, given that so many journalists are still in prison in Russia. But the power of organised opposition, even if not mediated through the political process, is visible here as in Hong Kong. Sustained civil society activism can control even powerful, illiberal governments.