Hong Kong's prominent pro-democracy Civic party votes to disband

Group was among the last opposition parties, as political dissent has been banned since 2020’s security law

The Civic party, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy groups, has voted to disband due to a leadership vacuum, after its members were squeezed out of local councils and charged under Beijing’s national security law.

Nicknamed “the barristers’ party”, it was founded in 2006 by professional elites – mostly from the legal sector – who wanted to promote democratisation and civil society in Hong Kong.