Hong Kong police detain veteran activists in raids
18 April, 2020
Hong Kong police arrested 14 activists in raids on Saturday (Apr 18) on charges of illegal assembly, in the biggest crackdown on the city's pro-democracy movement since the outbreak of mass protests this past year.
Among those detained in the swoop were prominent Democratic Party founder and senior barrister Martin Lee, 81, millionaire publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai, 71, and former legislator and barrister Margaret Ng, 72, according to media and political sources.
In every, nine former legislators were arrested.
Democratic legislator Claudia Mo, who was not among those arrested, said the town government, led by Chief Executive Carrie Lam, was trying "into introduce a ring of terror in Hong Kong".
"They are doing whatever they are able to to attempt to silence, to take down, the neighborhood opposition," Mo said, pointing to upcoming legislative elections in September in which democrats hope to regain veto power in metropolis assembly.
Hong Kong police superintendent Lam Wing-ho told reporters that 14 people aged between 24 and 81 were arrested on charges of organising and taking part in "unlawful assemblies" on Aug 18 and Oct 1 and 20 this past year. He didn't identify the 14.
Those days saw big and sometimes violent protests across the city.
Five of the 14 were also arrested for publicising unauthorised public meetings on Sep 30 and Oct 19, Lam said.
They were all because of appear in court on May 18, but Lam said more arrests were possible. It isn't known whether some of those arrested on Saturday were being held in detention.
The raids mark the biggest crackdown on the pro-democracy movement since the start of the anti-government protests across the former British colony in June this past year.
NEW PUSH FOR SECURITY LAW
Marchers at first targeted a now-scrapped bill proposing to send suspects to mainland China for trial but protests broadened into demands for full democracy and a public investigation of the utilization of force by police.
Lai was arrested on similar charges in late February, along with veteran activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Yeung Sum, who were also arrested on Saturday.
After his release on Saturday afternoon, Martin Lee said he felt "relieved to be listed as a defendant because I've seen many brilliant young people being arrested but I didn't."
"I don't regret what I have done," he added. "I'm proud to really have the chance to walk our democracy road with Hong Kong's excellent teenagers."
A spokesman for the government's Security Bureau said that no matter background or status, "in Hong Kong, many people are equal before the law".
"No-one is above it nor can anyone break it without facing consequences ... The authorities will handle the case in a fair, just and impartial manner," the spokesman said.
The arrests come after almost a year of relative calm amid a partial coronavirus lockdown and Chinese and city government officials launch a fresh push for tougher national security laws for Hong Kong.
The Asian financial hub returned to Beijing in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula that guarantees it broad freedoms not seen in mainland China, and a high degree of autonomy.
A previous attempt to draft a national security law for Hong Kong, referred to as Article 23, was met with mass protests in 2003 and abandoned.
Hong Kong government and security officials have recently described some of the democracy movement's actions as being close to terrorism.
Authorities are increasingly using the risk of terrorism to justify the need for new national security laws, a requirement under the Basic Law - the mini-constitution that guarantees Hong Kong's broad freedoms and outlines its relationship with Beijing.
Authorities in Hong Kong have arrested more than 7,800 people over their involvement in the last year's protests, including many on rioting charges that may carry jail terms as high as 10 years.
It isn't clear how many of them are in custody. China's state media has repeatedly demanded Hong Kong's independent judiciary take tough measures against protests.
Source:
TAG(s):