Four students were reportedly arrested in Hong Kong in the first police operation to enforce China’s new “national security” law. Arrests have previously been made under the new law for banners and slogans displayed in protests.
“Three men and a woman, aged 16-21, who claimed to be students, were arrested for violating the #National Security law. Secession was suspected by defending #HKindependence. The investigation is underway,” Hong police tweeted. Kong.
Prominent pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong He said one of those arrested was Tony Chung, a student activist, and that he was detained after writing a Facebook post about “#Nationalism of China.”
“Arrestee’s mobile phones were hacked by unknown #Huawei and #Samsung phones shortly after their arrests. Tonight’s arrest will clearly send a chilling effect on the #HK online speech,” Wong tweeted.
Silent dissent
New from China “national security” legislation, which was secretly written in Beijing and entered into force in Hong Kong on July 1, prohibits a variety of crimes loosely defined as “sedition” that can carry life sentences. Critics accuse Beijing of using it to stifle the pro-democracy movement in the previously semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong, with reports of self-censorship and removal of past posts on social media for fear of prosecution.
“People are still fighting on the ground. They still resist, but they also feel a sense of terror,” said Hong Kong politician and activist Nathan Law, who fled Hong Kong to the United Kingdom shortly after the new law on ” National security”. in effect, he told CBS News.
Law became a household name in semi-autonomous Chinese territory as a student leader during the massive pro-democracy protests in 2014 and the emerging Nobel Peace Prize nominee Umbrella movement. He eventually founded the pro-democracy political party Demosisto, along with Wong. The party dissolved shortly after the new “national security” legislation came into effect.
“When we realized that the law was so draconian that we couldn’t even speak on behalf of Hong Kong, that also accuses freedom of expression, it’s really killing it, so, for my consideration, I think we really needed someone to be outside and to speak for Hong Kong. So I decided to take that role, “Law said.
“When you leave Hong Kong, you leave many connections: your family, your friends, the cat you rescued on the street. But it also gives you the opportunity to take on a great responsibility to speak for the people of Hong Kong.” he said.
“Hong Kong is definitely a very symbolic place”
The arrests come amid reports that the upcoming elections for the Hong Kong legislative council, or LegCo, currently slated for September, could be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. The United States and Australia issued a joint statement on Tuesday reiterating their support for “the people of Hong Kong to be able to elect representatives of the Legislative Council through a truly free and fair, credible and peaceful election on September 6.”
“Beijing definitely wants to postpone the elections because they are under pressure that a democratic candidate perform very well,” Law said, adding that no Hong Kong-elected official has been consulted about the reported public health issues. “They are trying to postpone a year, which is an extremely long and unjustifiable period,” he said.
Law said he hopes that, from the relative security of a country outside of China, he can generate the international pressure necessary to help control Beijing’s further meddling in Hong Kong’s freedoms.
“I think we need a community of values around the world that can act multilaterally, assertively and collectively towards China … We need to push more allies like Europe, Japan and South Korea, these Asian democracies, to be in our camping to contain the authoritarian expansion of Beijing, “Law said.
“I think addressing the issues in Hong Kong is just a reflection of how to contain that authoritarian expansion, and Hong Kong is definitely a very symbolic place to enact those policies to hold China accountable,” he said.
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