Al Jazeera report on the latest who dare speak their mind..
Hong Kong police have arrested three student activists for “subversion” under the territory’s national security law over the group’s welfare programme for prisoners, street booths and social media content.
Senior superintendent Steve Li, from the city’s new national security police unit, announced the arrest of two men and one woman from the pro-democracy group, Student Politicism on Monday.
The three aged between 18 and 20, were the group’s convenor Wong Yat-chin, permanent secretary Wong Chi-sum and former spokesperson Chu Wai-ying.
Li said the group had set up street booths to spread what he called hateful speech against the government, including urging people not to use a government app aimed at tracking the spread of the coronavirus.
Police raided the group’s warehouse and seized large quantities of sweets, surgical masks, biscuits, lotion, and books – all items on a list of goods prisoners are allowed to receive from outside – as evidence.
The convenor of Student Politicism, Wong Yat-chin, is detained by police, in Hong Kong [Tyrone Siu/Reuters]
“Helping prisoners is not a problem but it depends on the intention,” Li said.
“If the intention is to help prisoners with the same beliefs and to recruit followers … to continue to violate national security, it is a problem for sure.”
