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HONG KONG pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been arrested for “illegal gathering” in connection with a 2019 protest against the government’s ban on face masks.
The news was confirmed in a statement on the 23-year-old’s Twitter account, which said he was also in custody for violating the “draconian law against masks,” which has since been declared unconstitutional.
The Hong Kong government first banned the wearing of masks at protests in October last year, resulting in subsequent city-wide protests against the ban.
Wong, one of the leaders of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, has been jailed twice previously for participating in pro-democracy protests against China.
He regularly speaks out against Beijing’s increasingly strict control over the city and often meets with elected officials and politicians from the United States and other countries.
Since Beijing imposed a new draconian security law in July, the stakes have risen significantly.
“Every day when I sleep, I can’t imagine when the police will come into my house,” he said in an interview earlier this month.
“The question for every activist is how much private life is there still?
“How long can we spend with our friends before the day Beijing arrests us with the national security law?”
The law was designed to end the huge and often violent pro-democracy protests that erupted in Hong Kong last year.
It targets acts considered secession, subversion, terrorism, and foreign collusion, and Beijing has described it as a “sword” hanging over the heads of its opponents as it pushes to restore stability.
Critics say it has covered the city in fear, and UN rights experts have warned that its comprehensive wording poses a serious risk to Hong Kong’s freedoms.
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In the same interview, Wong also said that he has no plans to reduce his activism.
“It seems to be a zero-sum game,” he said.
“If they choose not to arrest me, I may still be in Hong Kong, but if they choose to arrest me, they may extradite me to China immediately.
“And that’s the end.”
© – AFP 2020 wWith reporting by Stephen McDermott.
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