Police had sought details about the group’s funding and membership in connection with an indictment he was working as a “foreign agent,” in violation of the city’s hefty national security law, according to a letter seen by CNN in late of last month.
The letter said the group, the Hong Kong Alliance in support of China’s patriotic democratic movements, had 14 days to send the information, or up to six months in prison.
Under the law, which was imposed by Beijing last year, authorities have broad powers to crack down on political crimes.
Among the members of the group arrested were Vice President and Lawyer Chow Hang-tung, as well as members of the Standing Committee Leung Kam-wai, Tang Ngok-kwan and Chan Dor-wai, according to the group.
Chow posted on social media in the early hours of Wednesday morning that police were ringing his doorbell and trying to open the door.
CNN has contacted Hong Kong police for comment.
The Alliance, formed more than three decades ago to support those protesting for democracy in Beijing, said Sunday it would not comply with the police request, which included orders to hand over the personal data of its members, as well as all records of meetings with political groups in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and abroad.
The city’s security agency issued a statement last Sunday with a “solemn warning” that “endangering national security is a very serious crime” and that the Alliance “should step back immediately before it is too late.” .
But the group doubled down on Tuesday and sent a letter to police arguing they did not have enough reasons to ask for material. In its letter, the group added that it was not a “foreign agent” and that the police had yet to explain why they believed the group was linked to foreign forces.
Tsui Hon-kwong, a member of the alliance, said on Tuesday that a judicial review had been filed to challenge the police request.
In response, city leader Carrie Lam criticized the group for disobeying police. “I must strongly condemn (the Alliance’s) statements,” Lam said Tuesday. Security chief Chris Tang also warned on Tuesday that those who disobeyed national security police orders would have consequences.
Hours later, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the arrests were made.
The Hong Kong Alliance holds an annual candlelight vigil on the anniversary of Tiananmen’s pro-democracy repression since 1990.
The events in Tiananmen Square began with protesters in Beijing, mostly university students, gathered in the heart of the Chinese capital to mourn the death of a former ousted leader, and then push for government reform and greater democracy. In the early hours of June 4, 1989, the Chinese military entered the square, with orders to quell the protests.
No official death toll has ever been released, but advocacy groups estimate hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Protests and repression have been erased from China’s history books, censored and controlled. The annual candlelight vigil in Hong Kong has been, for decades, the only mass memorial held on Chinese soil.
But the days of the eve seem to be numbered. Several key members of the Alliance, including former delegates Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho, are serving prison sentences on charges of unauthorized meeting.
This year’s event was banned by authorities, citing coronavirus restrictions. The Hong Kong security office also warned that attending or promoting any June 4 rally could violate national security law and result in imprisonment.
According to the security law, protesters, journalists and pro-democracy figures have been arrested; the newsrooms have been raided and forced to close; and textbooks, movies, and websites face new censorship.
Some other activist organizations and civic groups – many of which, such as the Hong Kong Alliance, have been a key part of the city’s political and social fabric for decades – have retreated after facing pressure from the police.
Hong Kong authorities have repeatedly denied using the law to suppress political opposition or stifle dissent.
“I’m sure the police use that power properly, based on the evidence they have, to ask for information,” Lam said last Tuesday when asked about the Alliance. “We respect civic society.”
However, he warned, the law “will be fully implemented” to “eliminate all activities that endanger national security.”