HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's government said on Thursday that 12 opposition candidates in an upcoming election for seats in the city's legislature have been disqualified and that more could face a similar decision in the near term.


The government said advocating self-determination, soliciting intervention by foreign governments, or "expressing an objection in principle" to the new national security law were behaviors that "could not genuinely" uphold the city's mini-constitution, the Basic Law.


However, there was "no question of any political censorship, restriction of the freedom of speech or deprivation of the right to stand for elections as alleged by some members of the community," the government said in a statement.