Friday, July 31, 2020

Hong Kong police order arrest of exiled activists:
 China state media
Issued on: 31/07/2020 -

Hong Kong police are seeking to arrest Nathan Law (C) and five other democracy activists now living in exile, China's state television reported ISAAC LAWRENCE AFP/File

Hong Kong (AFP)

Hong Kong police have ordered the arrest of six pro-democracy activists living in exile on suspicion of violating the national security law, Chinese state media reported late Friday, but the city's force refused to comment.

The six included prominent young campaigner Nathan Law, 27, who recently relocated to Britain after fleeing Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong police officially ordered the arrests of six trouble-makers who have fled overseas," CCTV state television said.


A crackdown on Hong Kong's democracy movement has increased apace in the month since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the restless city.

The law targets subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces with up to life in prison, but critics said it was a legal weapon to silence dissidents and criminalise certain political views.

It would be the first time the city's police have used the extraterritorial power in the new law to go after activists who are not in the territory.

Besides Law, the other activists sought include former British consulate staffer Simon Cheng, pro-independence activists Ray Wong, Wayne Chan, Honcques Laus, and Samuel Chu, according to CCTV.

The report said the six were sought for "incitement to secession and collusion with foreign forces".

However, in an email to AFP, the Hong Kong police said they "do not comment on media reports".

Beijing has said the law will restore stability after last year's huge and often violent pro-democracy protests.

But it has also hastened the unravelling of Hong Kong's political freedoms and autonomy, supposedly guaranteed for 50 years after the 1997 handover from Britain.

In just a month since the new security law came into effect, a dozen leading pro-democracy campaigners have been disqualified from running in legislative elections and four students have been arrested on suspicion of "inciting succession" with social media posts.

© 2020 AFP



Postponement of Hong Kong elections raises eyebrows

Issued on: 31/07/2020 -

Hong Kong will delay legislative elections by up to one year. FRANCE 24 correspondent Oliver Farry says Covid-19 was a main reason cited for postponing the vote, with the territory’s leader Carrie Lam saying 600,000 voters would be putting themselves at risk by going out to vote. However, other explanations given have been met with a degree of scepticism.




Colonial-era law used to postpone Hong Kong elections

Issued on: 31/07/2020 -

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has announced the upcoming legislative elections will be delayed by one year. As FRANCE 24 international affairs commentator Douglas Herbert explains, the postponement of ballots is allowed under Hong Kong law, but only for 14 days, and only if deemed the elections would pose a threat to public law or safety. For this reason, Lam instead drew on a colonial-era emergency ordonnance to push through the delay.


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