2020: The year Beijing brought down the shutters on democracy in Hong Kong Issued on: 28/12/2020 - 10:41 Supporters show signs for Hong Kong pro-democracy activists Agnes Chow, Ivan Lam and Joshua Wong outside a court on December 2, 2020 after the three were given jail time. Their sentences are the result of a harsh "National Security Law" that Beijing imposed in Hong Kong after months of violent protests. Peter PARKS AFP/File 13 min 2020 will be remembered as the year that Beijing took back control of Hong Kong. Since the handover by the UK in 1997, the territory existed under the “one country, two systems” policy, guaranteeing a certain flexibility in political matters. But after months of massive anti-China demonstrations, Beijing finally stepped in, heavily.