HONG KONG – In a series of raids at dawn on Wednesday, police raided dozens of Hong Kong’s most prominent opposition figures, some of whom said they were accused of subversion under an imposed national security law for Beijing last year.
As of approximately 6 a.m., police began making arrests at the home of politicians, according to social media reports of some detainees. The arrests were related to his participation in unofficial election primaries held last year by the democratic camp ahead of the scheduled legislative elections, they said.
The police operation is the largest since the comprehensive national security law was enacted six months ago and activists said the arrests were the first to be linked to the alleged subversion, a felony under the law. The scope and profile of those arrested, who make up most of Hong Kong’s opposition, marks a dramatic escalation in the authorities’ efforts to crush dissent in the city, which was docked by months of protests. anti-government on the street in 2019.
Less than two weeks after the imposition of the security law, on the weekend of July 11 and 12, the opposition camp participated in self-organized primaries to select preferred candidates for the elections scheduled for the September. The goal was to improve the chances of getting a majority in the legislature, which participants said would allow them to block government legislation. Organizers said then that about 600,000 members of the public cast their votes.
Many of the politicians were told weeks later that their candidacies were invalid, and authorities expressed concerns about their loyalty to the city and its constitution. Shortly after the disqualifications, the government postponed the election for a year, citing the coronavirus pandemic.