The sentences made the young activists Hong Kong’s first political prisoners under Chinese rule and prompted a massive street protest on Aug. 20.

Mr. Liu’s death stoked anger among his supporters because of Beijing’s refusal to allow him to travel abroad to seek treatment. Many also accused the Chinese authorities of withholding information about his illness until it was too late to be treated.

If Mr. Liu’s health situation had been carefully monitored, as suggested by the authorities, it only raises more questions about why his illness had developed into late-stage cancer by the time he was put on medical parole, his friends and rights groups say.

The political mandate for Hong Kong's chief executive comes from China, and Ms. Lam has a record of pushing policies favored by Beijing.

Forty years after the end of the Cultural Revolution, schoolchildren in China are once again being mobilized for an anti-espionage drive reminiscent of the Mao era.

A draconian law adopted by the National People’s Congress is aimed at preventing Chinese citizens from challenging the Communist Party’s version of history.

"Every time I think of my husband and imagine what torture would have made him into, my heart aches."

"We must never fall into the trap of erroneous Western thinking and judicial independence."