HONG KONG (AFP) – Jailed Hong Kong democracy campaigner Joshua Wong was arrested by police on Thursday (Jan 7) under the city’s new national security law, a senior police source told Agence France-Presse.

Wong, currently serving a sentence of 13½ months for his role in organising democracy protests, was arrested inside Shek Pik Prison on a new charge of subversion, the officer confirmed. 

This is the first time Wong has been detained under the new national security law.

Local media reported Tam Tak-chi, another activist currently in custody on a sedition charge, was also arrested for subversion on Thursday morning. 

Wong, 24, was prosecuted and jailed last month alongside fellow activists Agnes Chow, 23, and Ivan Lam, 26, over a rally outside the police headquarters.

The three pleaded guilty to various charges including inciting an unlawful assembly.

Chow was sentenced to 10 months in jail and Lam, seven months.

Last year, Hong Kong was convulsed by seven straight months of huge and often violent rallies in which millions took to the streets.

Beijing has refused demands for universal suffrage and the authorities have pursued democracy supporters with criminal cases and a tough new security law.

The tactics have stifled the movement and restored a semblance of calm. But the financial hub remains deeply polarised, with many still seething against Beijing’s growing hold on the semi-autonomous city.

Wong, Chow and Lam joined Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement when they were in their teens.

They organised successful rallies in 2012 against plans to make Hong Kong’s education system more “patriotic”.

And they played prominent roles two years later in the Umbrella Movement – a 79-day peaceful occupation by a largely student-led campaign calling for universal suffrage.

More on this topic

Sign up for the ST Asian Insider newsletter to get exclusive insights into Asia from our network of overseas correspondents.

Source: Read Full Article