Hong Kong, Jul 27 (EFE).- Hong Kong police on Thursday arrested two more former members of now-defunct opposition group Demosisto, who have been accused of collecting funds to help activist Nathan Law, who is in self-exile in the United Kingdom.
The security forces of the former British colony announced the arrests of a man and a woman, both aged 29, for allegedly conspiring with a foreign country to endanger national security and committing acts with “seditious intent.”
According to media reports, the detainees are former Demosisto members named Chan Kok-hin – a legal advisor and ex-lawmaker – and Lily Wong lee-lee.
With these arrests, the total number of people from the group being probed has risen to seven.
On Jul. 5, Hong Kong security forces had announced the arrest of four ex-members of Demosisto along with the seizure of documents and electronic gadgets.
The following day, Hong Kong police arrested another former member, also accused of colluding with foreign forces and committing seditious acts.
The charges have been framed under the National Security Act, imposed by Beijing after the massive anti-government protests that rocked the territory in 2019, which carries sentences of up to life-term.
Demosisto was disbanded in June 2020 precisely after the new law was implemented, with the legislation resulting in the arrest of over 200 people.
One of the group’s founders, Nathan Law, is among the eight people living in exile against whom the Hong Kong authorities have issued arrests warrants that include rewards of HK$ 1 million for those who offer information leading to their arrest.
In a speech on the anniversary of Hong Kong returning to the Chinese fold on Jul. 1, Chief Executive John Lee warned that locals should be on guard against any kind of “soft resistance” that could pose a threat for national security.
Although the 2019 protests subsided with the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, China crushed any dissent through the legislation, which resulted in the most important activists of the movement fleeing to exile or being jailed.
msc/jco/ah
