Hong Kong police yesterday detained 47 democracy advocates on charges of conspiracy to commit subversion under the territory’s National Security Law, in the largest mass charge against the semi-autonomous Chinese territory’s opposition camp since the law came into effect in June last year.
The former lawmakers and democracy advocates had been previously arrested in a sweeping police operation in January, but were released.
They have been detained again and would appear in court today, police said in a statement.
Photo: AFP
They allegedly contravened the National Security Law, which was imposed by Beijing for participating in unofficial election primaries for Hong Kong’s legislature last year.
The defendants are 39 men and eight women aged 23 to 64, police said.
The move is part of a continuing crackdown on the territory’s democracy movement, with a string of arrests and prosecutions of Hong Kong’s democracy proponents — including outspoken advocates Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) and Jimmy Lai (黎智英) — following months of anti-government protests in 2019.
The pro-democracy camp had held the primaries to determine the best candidates to field to win a majority in the legislature, and had plans to vote down major bills, which would eventually force Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) to resign.
In January, 55 advocates and former lawmakers were arrested for their roles in the primaries.
Authorities said that the advocates’ participation was part of a plan to paralyze the territory’s legislature and subvert state power.
The legislative election that would have followed the unofficial primaries was postponed by a year by Lam, who cited public health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mass resignations and disqualifications of pro-democracy lawmakers have left the legislature largely a pro-Beijing body.
Among those arrested yesterday was former lawmaker Eddie Chu (朱凱迪). A post on his official Twitter account confirmed that he was being charged for conspiracy to commit subversion and that he was denied bail.
“Thank you to the people of Hong Kong for giving me the opportunity to contribute to society in the past 15 years,” Chu said in a post on Facebook.
Another candidate in the primaries, Winnie Yu (余慧明), was also charged and would appear in court today, according to a post on her Facebook page.
US lawyer John Clancey, a member of the now-defunct political rights group Power for Democracy who was arrested in January for his involvement in the primary, was not among those detained yesterday.
“I will give full support to those who have been charged and will be facing trial, because from my perspective, they have done nothing wrong,” Clancey told reporters.
The security law criminalizes acts of subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers to intervene in Hong Kong’s affairs. Serious offenders could face a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. Nearly 100 people have been arrested since the law was implemented.
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