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Chief Executive of Hong Kong announces to withdraw extradition bill

By indsamachar

Posted on 05/09/2019

Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam formally withdraws extradition bill

Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam has said she will withdraw the controversial extradition bill which triggered three months of unprecedented pro-democracy rallies in the country.

The proposal, introduced in April, would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China. The bill was suspended in June when Ms Lam called it dead, but she stopped short of withdrawing it. Full withdrawal is one of five key demands of protesters, who are also calling for full democratic rights.

In a televised address today, Ms Lam also announced that two senior officials would join an existing inquiry into police conduct during the protests.

An independent investigation into alleged police brutality against protesters is another of the activists’ demands.

On Monday, Ms Lam was heard on leaked audiotapes blaming herself for igniting Hong Kong’s political crisis, and saying it was unforgivable of her to have caused such huge havoc.