The headlines warn of democratic backsliding, but what does it truly mean for individuals, communities, and the future of human rights? Professor Kelley Loper, drawing on her profound experiences in Hong Kong, will cut through the noise, offering DCFR attendees a vital understanding of the growing repression in China and the critical role international law can play in shaping our response.

Before moving to Denver last year to become the director of the Ved Nanda Center for International & Comparative Law, Kelley Loper lived and worked in Hong Kong for nearly 30 years. During that time, as a professor of international human rights law at the University of Hong Kong and while working with civil society organizations, she had a front row seat to dramatic political and legal transformations.

In the waning years of British colonial rule before the 1997 handover to Chinese sovereignty, she observed the last British governor’s eleventh-hour democratic reforms and their quick dismantling by China. In the 28 years since, Hong Kong has endured numerous other threats to China’s promise that Hong Kong would enjoy a “high degree of autonomy.”

Professor Loper witnessed the demonstrations of 2019, when students from her university and others in Hong Kong marched through the streets protesting the lack of democracy and clampdown on freedoms in the city. In response, China imposed a sweeping National Security Law that led to a rapid deterioration of human rights. Despite these changes, some local judges, lawyers, and activists have carved out pockets of resilience that have helped maintain elements of Hong Kong’s judicial independence and tradition of civil society advocacy. She maintains her ties to the city and returns frequently to stay up to date with current developments.