---
title: Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC)
type: advocacy
status: active
country: CN
website: https://www.hkdc.us
logo: /assets/org-logos/hkdc.png
contact:
  checked: 2026-07-30
  email: info@hkdc.us
  source: https://www.hkdc.us/about
summary: A Washington DC-based organisation advocating for the restoration of democratic
  governance in Hong Kong — specifically the election-based accountability system
  promised under One Country, Two Systems, which was effectively dismantled following
  the 2020 National Security Law.
concepts:
- democracy
- liberal-democracy
- constitutional-democracy
location:
  latitude: 22.3193
  longitude: 114.1694
  name: Hong Kong (origin; operates in diaspora)
news_page: https://www.hkdc.us/news
events:
- date: '2019-09-17'
  title: Founded in Washington, DC amid the 2019 Hong Kong protests
  url: https://www.hkdc.us/biannual-report
  quote: It was founded on September 17, 2019, amid massive protests in Hong Kong
    that saw millions of people marching on the streets in opposition to an unpopular
    plan to establish extradition arrangements between Hong Kong and China proposed
    by then-Chief Executive Carrie Lam.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-17'
- date: '2020-01-01'
  title: Helps secure US congressional passage of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy,
    PROTECT Hong Kong, and Autonomy Acts
  url: https://www.hkdc.us/biannual-report
  quote: 'the HKDC team pushed for the successful passage of several landmark pieces
    of legislation: the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, the PROTECT
    Hong Kong Act of 2019, and the Hong Kong Autonomy Act of 2020.'
  note: Legislation passed and signed into US law over 2019–2020; the flagship Human
    Rights and Democracy Act became law in November 2019.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-17'
- date: '2021-01-01'
  title: Sponsors the first humanitarian parole visas for Hong Kong protesters
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Democracy_Council
  quote: In January 2021, HKDC assisted in the rescue of five Hong Kong protesters,
    aged 18–26 who fled by boat to Taiwan in July 2020 soon after the national security
    law was imposed, by sponsoring the first set of humanitarian parole visas to the
    US.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-17'
activity:
  manual:
    checked: 2026-06-07
    date: 2026-02-10
    note: 'website loaded. News is https://www.hkdc.us/news where latest is February
      10, 2026 ''Crossing a New Line: The Conviction of Anna Kwok’s Father'''
    url: https://www.hkdc.us/news
  dod:
    checked: 2026-07-16
    date: 2026-02-10
    note: 'News page loaded directly; most recent item ''Crossing a New Line: The
      Conviction of Anna Kwok''s Father'' dated Feb 10, 2026'
    url: https://www.hkdc.us/news
  scrape:
    checked: 2026-08-17
    date: 2026-02-09
    note: Latest news page scraped
    url: https://www.hkdc.us/news
  sitemap:
    checked: 2026-08-17
    date: 2026-07-15
    note: Page last modified (from sitemap)
    url: https://www.hkdc.us/sitemap.xml
last_checked: '2026-07-16'
---

> **Note:** HKDC operates from diaspora in Washington DC. It is included here because its work is specifically about a particular governance system — the accountability structures promised to Hong Kong under One Country, Two Systems — rather than general human rights documentation.

The Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC) advocates for the restoration of democratic elections and accountable governance in Hong Kong, framed around the governance commitments China made under One Country, Two Systems when Hong Kong was handed over in 1997. The 2020 National Security Law and subsequent electoral reforms fundamentally altered Hong Kong's political structure, replacing competitive elections with an appointment-dominated system.

HKDC's case is specifically about holding China to its own stated commitments — the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law both included specific governance structures that were agreed upon and subsequently altered.

## Links

- Website: [hkdc.us](https://www.hkdc.us)

## See also

- [Democracy](../concepts/democracy.md)
- [Liberal Democracy](../concepts/liberal-democracy.md)
- [Constitutional Democracy](../concepts/constitutional-democracy.md)