Cheng Tsz-Ho, 18, is among 12 Hongkongers aged 16 to 33 being held on suspicion of “illegal immigration” at the Yantian Detention Center in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong
The regime of Beijing adopted on June 30, in defiance of its international commitments, a national security lawwhich makes liable to life imprisonment, even the death penalty if cases are tried in China, “terrorist activities” , “secession” , “subversion” and “collusion with a foreign power” linked to Hong Kong. The law could be invoked against journalists wherever they are based in the world
In March, an annual report by the U.S. State Department cited reports from Amnesty International and other sources as saying that police had beaten and mistreated individuals in custody, with several reports emerging of sexual assault in detention
The decision, adopted on 28 May by the National Assembly Chinese People, is to allow the repression of “terrorism” , the “secession” of “sedition” and the “foreign interference” in the Hong Kong area . These four crimes, for which no official definition has yet been given, are in China punishable by death and frequently used against journalists.
Hundreds of activists and ordinary citizens in Hong Kong marked the first anniversary of the city’s anti-government movement by staging protests across the Asian financial hub on Tuesday. On June 9 last year, about one million Hong Kongers staged a peaceful protest against a proposed extradition law that would allow individuals to be sent to China for trial. The government at the time insisted on pressing ahead with the law, prompting more people to take to the streets in a series of mass protests that plunged the former British colony into one of the deepest crises in its history
A lot of police officers would humiliate and curse out arrested protesters during the anti-extradition movement. When they got you back to the police station they would do everything they could to make it harder for us. For example, it was very hot in the police station and there was a long wait to go to the bathroom.
Tsai’s visit came as Taiwanese lawmakers issued a cross-party joint statement criticizing Beijing’s plan to impose a draconian sedition and subversion law on Hong Kong, bypassing the city’s Legislative Council (LegCo)
Causeway Bay Books Taiwan, founded by exiled Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kei, opened its doors to throngs of customers on Saturday, with a congratulatory bouquet sent by Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen
the city’s seven million residents hunkered down for the traditional festivities, many public celebrations including the fireworks display were called off, with police citing fears for “public safety” in the wake of a protest movement that has seen thousands of arrests and thousands of tear gas canisters fired at crowds, amid a storm of international criticism
What began as protests over a proposed extradition law – meaning Hong Kongers could face trial in China’s Communist Party-controlled courts unleashed years of pent-up frustrations over creeping control by Beijing and an intentional erosion of Cantonese culture