Welcome to Hard Talk on the BBC World Service with me, Stephen Sacker.

My guest today is a professor of politics whose own activism and commitment to democratic reform

threatens to make him a case study in the dangers of political dissent.

Kenneth Chan has long fought for democratic reform in Hong Kong, which was returned to

Chinese rule in 1997, based on a commitment from Beijing that its legal and political systems

would be respected. The so-called one-country two systems principle. Right now, that principle seems redundant. Last year, Beijing imposed a new

national security law on the territory, which is being used to neutralise pro-democracy

political opposition. At the beginning of this year, more than 50 opposition activists were

arrested under suspicion of subversion.

Legislative elections were postponed last year, and if they take place, this year,

Beijing seems intent on musseling meaningful opposition. So what are the options for pro-democracy

campaigners like Kenneth Chan? Well, he joins me now on the line

from Hong Kong. Welcome to Hard Talk. Thank you very much. Pleasure to be here.

Professor Chan, right now in Hong Kong, is it possible to operate as a pro-democracy political activist?

It is increasingly difficult because of the introduction of the national security law

and the arbitrary implementation of the law that we have seen so far.

So a lot of people are very concerned.

I would say we are increasingly succumbed to a feeling of

helplessness and pervasive fear as well. So it's become harder for me, for example, to reach

to talk freely with people. I attended a small discussion just a couple of evenings ago with a

small group of local activists. We had to put away our phones. We were very concerned

about the meeting itself, although there was nothing really special that we would like to talk

...