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Hong Kong National Security Act: Police begin to release former lawmakers and activists, including Benny Tai, arrested in crackdown a day earlier without charging them
Former lawmakers and opposition activists detained on suspicion of subversion under Hong Kong’s national security law condemned their mass arrest as an attempt to crush dissent, after they were released on bail Thursday night without charge, but were released. prevented them from leaving the city. For more than 30 hours, many of those released defiantly described the repression as absurd. Several said that their participation in last year’s primary elections was the only link to the subversion allegations and that the police had not produced any evidence of actions or comments that could be interpreted as a violation of the law imposed by Beijing. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the great stories originating from China. Among those arrested were 16 former legislators and the primary mastermind, legal scholar Benny Tai Yitting, who was released from the Ma On Shan Police Station shortly before midnight. “Hong Kong has entered a cold winter, the wind is strong cold,” he said. “But I think many Hong Kongers will continue to use their own path to move against the wind. Thank you.” Tai, who had written the strategy “35-plus “It was pointed out by both the Office for the Safeguarding of National Security and the Beijing Liaison Office in Hong Kong, which issued statements supporting the crackdown on Wednesday. The office also said” members of the public [had been] tricked into voting in the primary calls, “but now” the general public can clearly see the evil intentions of Benny Tai Yiu-ting and others, and the harm done to Hong Kong society. “By 11.30pm, the police had released more than 30 of the 53 suspects. Leaving the western police station, District Councilor Lester Shum said the allegations were simply based on the opposition’s participation in the race last July to determine the most likely candidates. strong from the field for the legislative elections now delayed. absurd because they are not claiming that he said or did something after participating in the [primary] elections, ”said Shum, a former student leader. “They simply accused me of subversion because we have all participated in the democratic primaries.” Former legislator Raymond Chan Chi-chuen accused the government of using the national security law to crack down on opposition parties. “How do our actions endanger the country? The right to participate in an election and to exercise veto power as an elected legislator comes from the Basic Law, ”he said, referring to the city’s mini-constitution when leaving the central police station. He was granted a bond of HK $ 30,000 (US $ 3,870) and is required to surrender his passport. Former lawmaker Helena Wong Pik-wan said: “Regardless of whether the police press charges, we are prohibited from leaving Hong Kong for the next six months and we are stuck here. They detained us for 30 hours. I think they want to threaten the people of Hong Kong not to stand for election. ” Explanation: What led to the largest mass arrests under the legislation? Nearly 1,000 officers carried out the arrests in raids across the city shortly after dawn Wednesday. Authorities maintain that the opposition campaign for the primary elections included plans to “paralyze” and “overthrow” the government if members won a majority in the 70-seat Legislative Council. While Beijing welcomed the crackdown, Western nations condemned the move as an attack on human rights. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration was weighing sanctions on the authorities involved, as well as restrictions against the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in the United States. Police confirmed that the young activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung and Tam Tak had been arrested. -chi, they are already behind bars. A source said they were charged with the same crime of subversion in connection with the primary elections. Authorities transferred Wong, who was serving a 13 1/2 month sentence in Shek Pik Prison for organizing and inciting others to attend an illegal gathering outside police headquarters during anti-government protests in 2019, to the Reception Center of Lai Chi Kok for his interview with the police, said attorney Jonathan Man Ho-ching. Tam, from the People Power group, was also questioned at the center, where he has been detained since being charged with conspiracy to utter seditious words last year. A post on Wong’s Facebook page confirmed the arrest, adding that he was questioned without the presence of a lawyer. Mass arrest of legislators and opposition activists; According to one source, the police are expected to release all suspects except for former Democratic Party leader Wu Chi-wai, who according to a source accuse them of conspiring to ‘overthrow’ the government. will remain in custody after you failed to surrender your BN (O) passport as part of the terms of the bond in another case. A court will decide on Friday whether to revoke the previous bond. Former Civic Party legislator Kwok Ka-ki expressed his gratitude for the support that the public had shown him. “I was released on bail and I am grateful for everyone’s concern during this difficult time,” he said in a Facebook post after leaving the central police station. “We must persevere, and in time a new hope will emerge.” Others admitted they weren’t sure what might happen next, but promised that the authorities would not intimidate them. Carol Ng, president of the Trade Union Confederation, said she spent a cold night at the Sau Mau Ping police station, wondering if she could be detained for long. “There was a time when I was afraid I might not be able to go out again,” Ng said, as he greeted the waiting fans. He promised to continue his work as a union representative, adding: “The people of Hong Kong must stand together.” Sham Shui Po District Councilor Kalvin Ho Kai-ming was equally defiant when he left the local police station. “Evil can never defeat justice,” said the member of the Association for Democracy and People’s Life. The mass arrests would not deter the public’s determination to fight for democracy, he said. National security law: Hong Kong activist facing up to seven years in prison Leaving into the fresh night air in Mong Kok after his release, Ventus Lau said investigators had shown him excerpts from his speeches posted on his website. Facebook, but they were in simplified Chinese characters. in mainland China. “It is so clear who are the people who are driving this operation,” he said. “And the purpose is to catch all the pan-democrats at once.” It was understood that John Clancey, the first American detained under the new law, was the first to be released early in the morning. The lawyer was detained on suspicion of helping organize the primary elections. Pompeo voiced alarm at the news, warning that Washington would not tolerate “arbitrary detention or harassment” of its citizens. Tai and Clancey, also a permanent Hong Kong resident, were arrested on suspicion of subverting state power by organizing the primaries, along with four other people. : Power for Democracy coordinator Andrew Chiu Ka-yin; deputy coordinator Ben Chung Kam-lun; former legislator and key organizer of the Au Nok-hin polls; and Gordon Ng Ching-hang. Authorities said the plan by “over 35” from the opposition camp to seize control of Legco was part of a broader strategy to cripple the government, provoke Beijing to end the “one country, two policy. systems “under which Hong Kong was ruled and unleashed international sanctions against the nation. Tam Yiu-chung, the city’s only delegate to China’s highest legislative body, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, said on a radio show that the purpose of the primaries was “obvious” and violated security law. , even if there was no violence involved. “You shouldn’t just focus on the primaries themselves,” Tam said. “The whole plan [by Tai] It involves uniting the pro-democracy camp to win the majority of seats in the legislature, then paralyzing the government by rejecting the annual budget and having the chief executive resign. “When the objective is to subvert the power of the state, it is in violation of Article 22 of the national security law.” Meanwhile, Chung Kim-wah, deputy director of the Public Opinion Research Institute, said he had visited the police headquarters to help with the investigation. The institute helped organize the primary elections, but Chung said it gave no information to officials.Additional reporting by Chan Ho-him, Robbie Hu and Danny Mok More from the South China Morning Post: * Hong Kong National Security Law: Arrest For opposition figures it was an easy part for the authorities: Making the charges stand will require hard evidence, legal experts say. * Hong Kong National Security Law: Can the opposition camp survive the crackdown, or are they on the ‘road of no return’? * Hong Kong National Security Law – A 35+ Year Ambition, a ‘Color Revolution’ and the ‘Resistance’ – What Led to the Largest Mass Arrests Under the Legislation? This article Hong Kong National Security Law: Police begin to release former lawmakers and activists, including Benny Tai, arrested in repression a day earlier without charging them first appeared on the South China Morning Post For the latest South China news Morning Post, download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
