HONG KONG – After a year that saw democracy advocates in Hong Kong jailedand ousted from public office, thousands marched through the streets ofHong Kong on New Year’s Day to warn China not to meddle further in thecity’s affairs and undermine its autonomy.

Over the past year, Hong Kong, a former British colony which returned toChinese rule in 1997, has experienced what critics and pro-democracyactivists describe as an intensifying assault on its autonomy by China’sCommunist Party leaders.

This is despite Beijing’s promises to grant the city wide-ranging freedomsincluding an independent judiciary, under a so-called “one country, twosystems” framework.

Besides the controversial jailing of several prominent young activists forunlawful assembly over the massive 2014 “Occupy” pro-democracy protests,authorities also ejected six pro-democracy lawmakers from the legislaturefor failing to take proper oaths of office.

The city’s reputation as one of Asia’s most robust legal jurisdictions hasalso come under a cloud amidst accusations of a politicization of certainlegal cases.