One of the leading figures of the democracy movement in Hong Kong, Agnes Chow, was arrested on Monday, August 10, along with nine other people under the national security legislation imposed in June by Beijing on the territory, said a police source. " It is now confirmed that Agnes Chow was arrested for 'inciting secession' under the national security law ," can we also read on the Facebook account of the young woman, who has long campaigned alongside by Joshua Wong and Nathan Law with whom she founded the Demosisto party.
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Also among those arrested on Monday were newspaper mogul Jimmy Lai and two of his sons, as well as Wilson Li, who claims to be a freelance videographer working for UK TV channel ITV News.
Seen as a response from Beijing to months of pro-democracy protests that rocked Hong Kong in 2019, recently introduced legislation gives local authorities new powers to crack down on four types of crimes against state security: subversion , separatism, terrorism and collusion with outside forces. The most serious crimes are punishable by life imprisonment.
Many activists for democracy denounce a liberticidal text which, according to them, comes to an end with the principle " One country, two systems " established during the handover in 1997 and which guaranteed until 2047 to the Hong Kongers freedoms unknown in the rest of the country. China.