Dozens of Hong Kong opposition people have been arrested under national security law

According to statements posted online, those arrested were all participants in the primary elections held in July last year, aimed at reducing the field of pro-democracy candidates before the September legislative elections.

With the support of external forces, opposition groups and leaders have deliberately devised plans to hold so-called “primary elections”, which pose a serious challenge to the current electoral system and have severely damaged the fairness and justice of the Legislative Council. elections, “said the liaison office at the time, Beijing’s main representative in the city.

On Wednesday, Hong Kong police appeared to be following the threat, arresting the primary candidates one early morning.

Among those detained are former Democratic Party lawmakers James To, Andrew Wan and Lam Cheuk-ting, who by the end of last year had been members of the city’s Legislative Council before they and all other members of the pro-democracy bloc resigned. in protest of the government’s decision to remove more parliamentarians.

Primary elections are a normal function in democracies around the world. At the time of the Hong Kong vote, the Democratic mayor of the United States, who was elected by President-elect Joe Biden, was still in office. Hong Kong has also held such votes in the past, in an attempt to align with the organization and discipline of the pro-Beijing rival camp and to avoid splitting the pro-democracy vote.
In a statement, The Democratic Party said the three were arrested by the national security branch of the police on suspicion of “subversion” in connection with the primary elections.

Joshua Wong, the prominent activist of the closed Umbrella Movement at the end of last year, is also being investigated in connection with the mayor. His house was attacked on Wednesday morning, it is said in a post on his verified social networks.

A rioting police officer stands guard during a removal operation during a demonstration in a Hong Kong mall on July 6, 2020, in response to a new national security law introduced in the city.

Hong Kong police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wednesday’s arrests are the most dramatic and comprehensive escalation under national security law, which Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam and others have promised will be limited and target only a small number of marginal activists.

In a live video of his arrest recorded by district councilor and activist Ng Kin-wei, an officer can be heard telling Ng that he is being arrested “for the crime of undermining state power.”

“During 2020, you were part of the ’35+’ primary elections, designed to elect 35 or more members of the Legislative Council in order to veto all government budget policies and motions to force the chief executive to resign,” he said. the officer arresting in the video. “Such acts would seriously interfere with and obstruct the legal responsibilities of the government.”

Such a scheme had been proposed by prominent pro-democracy activist Benny Tai as a possible tactic to resume the long-term political reform process in Hong Kong, in the unlikely event that pro-democracy candidates won a majority in the semi-democratic legislature. , where about half of the seats are allocated to so-called “functional constituencies”, chosen by businesses and other groups that tend to favor Beijing.

Voting against the budget and forcing the chief executive to resign would have been legal before the national security law, similar to a “vote of no confidence” that leads to general elections in many democracies.

Under national security law, someone convicted of “serious” subversion can face life or imprisonment for at least 10 years, while others can face between three and 10 years in prison.

“Shameful and ridiculous”

Many other prominent activists and former parliamentarians, including Umbrella Movement leader Lester Shum, “Longhair” Leung Kwok-hung, Civic Party leader Alvin Yeung, former journalist Gwyneth Ho and community activist Eddie Chu, were also arrested, according to statements released by socialization.

“We have already lost the number. But you think everyone who attended Hong Kong’s first pro-democracy last year will be arrested, including the organizers,” Democratic Party chairman Lo Kin-hei said on Twitter. “Most likely over 40 or even 50.”

Former MP Emily Lau described the arrests as “shameful and ridiculous”.

“How can people running in the primary election to select candidates be subversive and violate the National Security Act,” she said. “This is a blatant attempt to intimidate pro-democracy activists and warn people not to engage in politics and collaboration.”

Speaking to CNN late last year, Shum – the elected district councilor – predicted that it would be a matter of when, if not, he would be arrested and probably expelled from his chair.

“After 2019, I think we are facing a complete crackdown on the democratic movement. And at the District Council level, we are popularly elected by the people of Hong Kong … and they might see that as a threat,” Shum said.

Chief Executive Lam appeared to address the city’s political discord in his New Year’s speech. “Every time there are quarrels in society, people actually pay a high price,” she said. “That’s why, for 2021, my biggest hope is for society to have harmony. For the SAR government and other public bodies to have more room to do concrete things for Hong Kong.”

CNN’s Jadyn Sham contributed to the reporting.

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