Hong Kong police yesterday arrested six advocates for suspected sedition and contravention of a National Security Law in connection with what the police called “causing nuisance” at court hearings in December last year and January.
Police, who typically do not identify arrested people, said the six aged 32 to 67, had been arrested for “having purposely caused nuisance” during various court hearings they attended.
They had been detained for further investigation, police said.
Media said those arrested included Leo Tang (鄧建華), a former vice chairman of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) and citizen journalist Siew Yun-long (蕭雲龍).
The six were
In just a year and a half, China has effectively brought Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement to a dead end.
Almost all of the major groups advocating for meaningful elections and freedom of expression have disbanded, while Sunday’s vote for the Legislative Council the first under China’s new rules featured only Beijing-vetted candidates.
Activists continue to seek new tactics, but the options are increasingly limited. Overseas activism, online petitions and demonstrations so small that campaigners are often outnumbered by the watching police: It is all a long way from the historic mass protests that brought hundreds of thousands
Most of the groups advocating for meaningful elections and freedom of expression have disbanded. China's crackdown "exceeded the threshold of what we can bear.”