On Thursday, police detained and leveled new charges at pro-democracy leader Joshua Wong, adding to previous charges connected to his activism. He was later released, but the move is part of a widening crackdown against prominent defenders of Hong Kong’s freedoms and rule of law.
Also alarming is the fate of a dozen young protesters who, on Aug. 23, attempted to flee Hong Kong by speedboat to Taiwan, hoping for political asylum. The group, ranging from 16 to 33 years old, included a prominent activist and teenage students who participated in last year’s pro-democracy protests. Already, some 200 people have attempted to leave Hong Kong in a similar manner, and Taiwan, the self-ruling island that China claims is a renegade province, has left its doors open. The speedboat was seized about 45 miles southeast of Hong Kong by the Chinese Coast Guard after the boat allegedly traversed Chinese territorial waters that surround Hong Kong. The 12 on board were detained for illegally crossing the border.
Most of the dozen young people had previously been charged and released on bail over offenses stemming from the Hong Kong protests, including attempted arson, possession of offensive weapons, rioting and possession of explosives. One of them, Andy Li, had been charged with collusion with a foreign country under the new national security law, and released on bail. But instead of repatriating them to Hong Kong, the 12 have been taken directly to Shenzhen, on the mainland, where they are being held in “compulsory criminal detention.”
A Chinese government spokesman said Sept. 13 that the detained group were not “democratic activists, but elements attempting to separate #HongKong from China.” Under the new national security law, separatism is one of several offenses that carry stiff penalties. The statement raised the prospect they might be tried on the mainland on more serious charges than illegal border crossing. On Sept. 15, Carrie Lam, the Hong Kong chief executive who answers to Beijing rather than defending Hong Kong autonomy, said the detainees should not be seen as democracy activists but, rather, “The reason for their fleeing Hong Kong is seemingly to escape their legal responsibilities.”
Is China preparing to prosecute these 12 young people on more serious charges, and without any of the legal rights that Hong Kong’s system once afforded? A former British colony handed over to China in 1997, Hong Kong once was considered an outpost of freedom and rule of law. And now? The fate of the democracy dozen will be closely watched.
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