China should also release people detained during Hong Kong's protests in 2019, the UN Human Rights Committee has said. It marks the panel's first recommendation since 2020.

Courts in Hong Kong have recently imprisoned at least two activists under protest-related charges. New regional leader John Lee has vowed to focus on national security, and critics are wary of what that could mean.

Giant panda An An was euthanized at the age of 35 at a Hong Kong theme park, with park officials saying they were "deeply saddened" by the loss.

After consolidating its power over Hong Kong, Beijing has used the festivities marking the 25th handover anniversary from British rule to laud the city's "rebirth." Many Hong Kongers do not feel like celebrating.

Chinese President Xi Jinping was in Hong Kong to celebrate 25 years of the former British colony's handover to Beijing amid heightened security and a clampdown on pro-democracy protests.

It's the first time Xi has made a trip outside mainland China since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The visit is expected to showcase Beijing's control over Hong Kong after a political crackdown crushed dissent.

Three years ago, a protest movement began in Hong Kong against an extradition bill, which led to an authoritarian response from Beijing that would forever transform the city and its people.

An election committee composed largely of pro-Beijing figures voted for John Lee, a former security official, to be the new leader of Hong Kong. Lee, the only candidate in the vote, replaces Carrie Lam in July.

Citing legal concerns, the club has suspended the 26th edition of its human rights reporting award. Hong Kong's national security laws have stifled free press in the former bastion of democracy.

DW speaks to Ben Cowling of the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong.

Britain said keeping its judges in Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal would "legitimize oppression" under a controversial security law in the former British colony.

Hong Kong is facing its toughest test yet in its "Dynamic Zero Covid" strategy. The number of cases this year is now higher than the number of infections seen in both 2020 and 2021. The city's health system is under pressure, suffering from a lack of hospital beds, inadequate testing capacities and over-strained quarantine centers. But the health crisis is turning political. For more on this, we turn to Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a political scientist at Hong Kong Baptist University.