One of the 53 people arrested in Hong Kong on Wednesday, the American lawyer John Clancey, has been released without charge pending further inquiries.
Police were expected to begin releasing the remaining detainees yesterday, local media reported, after an unprecedented roundup of politicians, campaigners and activists over accusations that their holding of a democratic poll breached Hong Kong’s National Security Law imposed by Beijing.
The detainees, who include former lawmakers, academics, social workers and students, are being released on police bail pending charges, and would likely have to report back at regular intervals.
Photo: Bloomberg
The arrest of Clancey, a prominent lawyer in Hong Kong, marked the first use of the law against a foreigner.
Clancey, who is the chairman of the Asian Human Rights Commission and treasurer of a group linked to the democratic primaries at the center of the allegations, was arrested when police raided the law firm Ho, Tse, Wai and Partners on Wednesday, a source at his law firm told Reuters.
Local media also reported that activists Joshua Wong (黃之鋒), who is already serving a 13-month prison sentence, and Tam Tak-chi (譚得志), who is in jail on remand, were also rearrested over related allegations.
Photo: AFP
About 1,000 police officers were mobilized to raid 72 premises and arrest 53 people, including 45 men and eight women, aged 23 to 79, “for subversion of state power,” in what was the largest mass arrest since the introduction of the national security legislation in June last year.
It more than doubled the number of people apprehended for alleged breaches of the law, and police did not rule out further arrests.
The 53 were arrested over their involvement — including as candidates — in unofficial primaries held last year.
The primaries drew 600,000 Hong Kongers out to vote for candidates who campaigned on a promise of winning a 35-plus majority in the 70-seat Legislative Council and voting down government bills to force the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥).
Authorities suggested at the time and confirmed on Wednesday that they considered this an act of subversion under the new law, which carries a life sentence for the most serious offenses.
Alan Leong (梁家傑), a lawyer and member of the pro-democracy Civic Party, labeled the suggestion “ridiculous in the extreme,” and said the right to vote against legislation was enshrined in Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law.
Pro-establishment Lawmaker Michael Tien (田北辰), a deputy of the Chinese National People’s Congress, also questioned the accusations.
“They’re saying they’ll oppose all [the bills] regardless of content ... however the overriding condition for [the National Security Law] to be in effect is they have to be using unlawful means to achieve that,” he told RTHK radio. “So it begs the question how holding a primary is unlawful ... even establishment parties have held their own primaries.”
Tien said the law probably needed to be redrafted if the authorities were only concerned with punishing people for their motives and not their methodology.
If prosecutors were unable to secure convictions, that would be a “slap in the face” for the government, because it would reveal they do not understand the law, and would further divide Hong Kong society, he said.
Veteran politician Lee Cheuk-yan (李卓人) called the arrests “absurd.”
The alleged crimes “are not remotely close to anything concerning national security, but they still use the law,” he said.
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