| ▲ The BBC captures reports of massive arrests of pan-democracy officials by Hong Kong police. | |
| ⓒ BBC | |
Hong Kong authorities have arrested dozens of pan-democracy officials on charges of violating the National Security Law.
According to major foreign media such as the AP and the BBC, the Hong Kong police on the 6th announced that they had arrested 53 people from the pan-democracy camp in a large-scale arrest operation involving 1,000 police officers from the Ministry of National Security, a department dedicated to the security law.
In the arrest, seven Democrats, Hong Kong’s main opposition party, including former President Uchiwai, as well as President Alvin Yong of the Communist Party and former Hong Kong University professor Benny Tai were arrested.
Ahead of the Hong Kong parliamentary legislative election, which was scheduled to be held in September last year, he applied charges of attempting to overthrow the state by hosting an informal primary election in July of that year to unify the candidates for the pan-democracy camp.
The pan-democracy camp set a goal of taking a majority seat in the legislative meeting and resigning the pro-China camp’s Hong Kong Minister Carrie Ram.
Despite warnings from the Hong Kong authorities that the primary election may violate the security law, Minister Ram, who felt a sense of crisis as the voting fever was hot, exercised the’emergency power’ for the spread of the novel coronavirus (Corona 19) and held the legislative election next September Postponed years.
Hong Kong Sheriff John Lee, who led the arrest operation, said, “The arrested people have taken over the legislative assembly to paralyze society and have devised a 10-step evil plan to overthrow the country.” “There will be additional arrests because the investigation is still underway. “I said.
In addition, the Hong Kong police raided the office of the law firm Hotswire and Partners, which is in charge of advocating for members of the pan-democracy camp, and arrested American lawyer John Clancy. It is the first time that Hong Kong authorities have arrested a US citizen in connection with the security law, so it is also discussed the possibility of a diplomatic conflict.
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According to the Hong Kong Security Law, if convicted of overthrowing the state, the main offender will be sentenced to life imprisonment, and the participants will be sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison.
US President-elect Joe Biden as Secretary of State, Tony Blincoln, tweeted “an attack on courageous people who advocate for universal rights.” “The Biden administration will work with Hong Kong citizens and oppose China’s crackdown on democracy. Criticized.
Human Rights Watch, an international human rights organization, said, “The Chinese Communist Party is removing even the last pretense of democracy left in Hong Kong,” and emphasized that “the repression will rather cause resistance, and the citizens of Hong Kong will continue to fight.”
At a regular conference, however, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hwa Chun-ying refuted, saying, “China is a rule of law, and Hong Kong is a rule of law society” and “supports the enforcement of the Hong Kong police.”
He also warned that “this arrest will have no effect on Hong Kong’s international status and the normal rights and freedoms of Hong Kong citizens.” “Rather, some forces in Hong Kong and foreign forces that are trying to harm China’s stability will be affected.” .
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