In Hong Kong, police has detained 47 pro-democracy activists today under the territory’s controversial national security law. This is one of the largest known crackdowns on dissenters. The police has slapped the activists with charges of conspiracy to commit subversion. The 47 activists were asked to report to police stations for detention ahead of court appearances tomorrow.
China had enforced the new law criminalizing subversive acts last year. The law came into force after mass pro-democracy protests that kept Hong Kong on a knife’s edge in 2019. Critics of the law say that it has silenced dissenters and has stripped Hong Kong of its autonomy.
Those arrested were aged between 23 and 64. They include 39 men and eight women. According to reports, those detained are some of Hong Kong’s leading democracy campaigners. They include pro-democracy leaders like Benny Tai, Leung Kwok-hung, Gwyneth Ho, Sam Cheung, Jimmy Sham and Lester Shum.
The Hong Kong Police has so far arrested around 100 people under the new security law. They also include prominent China critic and media tycoon Jimmy Lai who has been denied bail and is awaiting trial.