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Hong Kong police have arrested the vice-chairwoman of a pro-democracy group that organises the annual 4 June rally to commemorate those that died within the bloody 1989 Tiananmen Sq. crackdown, within the newest blow to the opposition motion.
The barrister Chow Cling Tung of the Hong Kong Alliance in Help of Patriotic Democratic Actions in China was arrested at her workplace within the central enterprise district on Wednesday morning, a witness mentioned.
Her arrest got here hours earlier than she was on account of symbolize at a bail listening to the detained opposition politician Gwyneth Ho, who’s charged with conspiracy to commit subversion below a Beijing-imposed nationwide safety legislation.
Police despatched a letter to the alliance in August requesting details about its membership, funds and actions by 7 September, in line with a replica the group despatched to reporters.
The letter accused the alliance of being “an agent of international forces”. Failure to supply the knowledge by the deadline may lead to a HK$100,000 positive and 6 months in jail, the letter mentioned.
The nationwide safety legislation punishes with as much as life in jail what authorities broadly discuss with as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with international forces.
The Nationwide Safety Division mentioned in an announcement late on Tuesday that an organisation had overtly expressed it might refuse to supply info. It didn’t identify the group. “Police severely condemn such acts,” it mentioned.
Native broadcaster RTHK mentioned police had arrived on the houses and places of work of key alliance members early on Wednesday to make arrests after the group refused at hand over info requested by the pressure’s nationwide safety unit.
Police didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The alliance leaders Albert Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan are already in jail over their roles in anti-government protests that roiled town in 2019. The group mentioned in July that it had laid off workers members to make sure their security and that half of its committee members had resigned.
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