Hong Kong’s high court disqualified two pro-independence lawmakers on Tuesday as authorities intensified their crackdown on the burgeoning separatist movement in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
周二，香港高等法院取消了两名“港独”议员的议员资格。针对这块半自治中国领土快速发展的分离主义运动，当局加大了打压力度。
The Chinese government last week pre-empted the outcome of the court case by issuing an unprecedented ruling that anyone promoting separatism in Hong Kong must be barred from public office.
在香港高等法院做出这一裁决前，北京方面上周先发制人，发布了一条史无前例的司法解释，规定任何宣扬港独的人都不能担任公职。
Opposition politicians and legal experts said Beijing’s intervention in the case, which was initially brought by the Hong Kong government, dealt a heavy blow to the rule of law in the global financial centre.
反对派政治人士和法律专家表示，北京方面对此案的干预给这个全球金融中心的法治造成了沉重打击。此案是由香港政府提起的。
Judge Thomas Au said he disqualified Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching, who were elected to the city’s legislative council in September, because they had failed to take their oath of office properly, pledging allegiance to the “Hong Kong nation” and describing China in derogatory terms.
负责此案的法官区庆祥(Thomas Au)表示，他之所以取消今年9月当选为香港立法会议员的梁颂恒(Baggio Leung)和游蕙祯(Yau Wai-Ching)的议员资格，是因为他们未能正确发表就职宣誓，而是宣称效忠“香港国”，还使用侮辱性字眼称呼中国。
In his judgment he said they had committed a “wilful and deliberate attempt” to “insult China” and “manifestly refused” to bear allegiance to the “Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China”, as the territory is formally known.
他在判决书中表示，两人“蓄意地企图……侮辱中国……并明显拒绝”效忠“中华人民共和国香港特别行政区”。中华人民共和国香港特别行政区是香港的正式名称。
He said he would have made the same decision regardless of the intervention by Beijing.
区庆祥表示，无论北京方面干预与否，他都会做出同样的裁决。
Speaking outside the court, Ms Yau, a 25-year-old political novice who has divided opinions with her uncompromising style, said the outcome was “not fair but expected” because of the “threats to the judge” from Beijing.
25岁的政治新人游蕙祯在法庭外发表讲话时表示，由于北京方面“对法官施压”，判决结果“不公但在意料之内”。游蕙祯一直因不妥协的风格而引发争议。
Noting that she was elected by more than 20,000 voters and Mr Leung by more than 37,000, she said that “if the court can disqualify us this way, everyone should know what kind of society we live in”.
游蕙祯指出，她和梁颂恒分别获2万多和3.7万多选民选出。她说，“如果法庭能以这种方式取消我们的议员资格，我想大家都心中有数，这究竟是个什么样的社会”。
Mr Leung said they would appeal the judgement.
梁颂恒表示，他们将提起上诉。
“This judgement simply reflects that elections in Hong Kong are meaningless and the results can easily be overturned by the government,” he said.
他说：“这种判决仅仅反映出香港选举毫无意义，以及选举结果能够被政府轻易推翻。”
The young lawmakers sparked a furious reaction from Beijing and its supporters in Hong Kong with the manner of their swearing-in last month.
这两位年轻议员上月就职宣誓时的表现，让北京方面和香港的亲北京人士大为光火。
Earlier this month, the Hong Kong government brought a judicial review to disqualify Mr Leung and Ms Yau, even though the president of the Legislative Council had offered them the chance to retake their oaths.
本月早些时候，香港政府提请司法复核以取消梁颂恒和游蕙祯的议员资格，尽管香港立法会主席此前已允许两人重新宣誓。
Beijing’s representative office in Hong Kong has warned it may seek to unseat as many 13 other opposition lawmakers in the 70-member council for failing to take their oaths properly.
中国中央人民政府驻香港特别行政区联络办公室（简称：中联办）警告称，该办可能会寻求剥夺其他至多13名未能正确宣誓的反对派议员的议员资格。香港立法会总共有70名议员。
Zhang Xiaoming, the head of the office, vowed at the weekend to crack down hard on separatism, saying Beijing would never “appease treason”.
中联办主任张晓明在上周末誓言严厉打击分离主义，他说，北京方面绝不会“纵容叛国”。
Regina Ip, a pro-government lawmaker, said the decision by the court and Beijing’s intervention had “made clear to Hong Kong people the importance of territorial integrity and respect for the sovereignty of our country”.
亲北京的香港立法会议员叶刘淑仪(Regina Ip)表示，法院的判决和北京方面的干预“让香港人明白了国土完整和尊重‘一国’原则的重要性”。
The government will have to arrange a by-election to allow voters to replace Mr Leung and Ms Yau, although they said they would seek an injunction to stop this from happening until their appeal has been heard.
香港政府将不得不安排补缺选举以便让选民们选出替代梁颂恒和游蕙祯的议员，尽管这两人表示，将寻求取得禁制令以阻止补缺选举，直至他们完成上诉。
“Now is only the beginning, not the end,” said Mr Leung. “The enemy has declared war on us and we will fight until the last moment.”
梁颂恒表示：“（现在）只会是开始，而不会是结束。敌人既然宣战，我们只能够奋战到最后一刻。”