Well-known Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong was arrested



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Well-known Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong was arrested on Thursday on charges of participating in an unauthorized demonstration in October 2019 and violating a law that prohibits the wearing of masks at all demonstrations. and public meetings. The arrest was announced by the profile. Twitter by Wong himself. A few hours later, Wong was released on bail and his case will be discussed in court on September 30: Wong faces up to five years in prison for participating in an unauthorized demonstration and up to one year in prison for wearing a mask.

Joshua Wong, 23, is among the leaders of the pro-democracy protests that have been going on for more than a year in Hong Kong, and has been arrested and released several times in recent years. Following the passage of the controversial “national security” law, with the official aim of arresting anyone accused of “terrorist activities” and acts of “sedition, subversion and secession”, Wong expressed his fear of being arrested again and extradited to China.

– Read also: Is it the end of Hong Kong?

“My arrest seems imminent,” he said on August 28. Financial times. “When they arrest me, they could extradite me to China immediately. Of course, this is the worst case. But many people ask me “Are you ready?” and I reply that, of course, no one can be willing to be sentenced to stay in a detention camp in Beijing forever. “

Since the approval of the law, several activists have been detained, including, a few weeks ago, 290 protesters for protesting against the government’s decision to postpone the legislative elections, which should have been held on Sunday, September 6.

According to the Hong Kong government, the postponement of the vote was necessary to contain the coronavirus pandemic, but the opposition accused it of using it as a pretext to prevent people from voting: the opposition hoped to obtain new seats in the Legislative Council by taking advantage of the widespread discontent caused by the national security law.

– Read also: What does the arrest of Jimmy Lai mean in Hong Kong



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