Wong was already in prison, serving a 13.5-month sentence for his role in demonstrations during the 2019 pro-democracy protest movement. On Thursday, a post posted on Wong’s verified Facebook page said he had been transferred from prison to a detention center, where police interrogated him.
An assistant who manages Wong’s social media accounts confirmed his arrest to CNN.
The post claimed that Wong’s lawyer was unable to contact him when the police took statements. CNN contacted the Hong Kong police for comment.
Wong’s arrest is the latest under the auspices of Beijing’s new national security law, which on Wednesday saw police arrest 53 in early morning raids against democracy activists across the city.
The law criminalizes acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces and carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. These vague parameters have given authorities broad powers to crack down on government opponents, while Beijing continues to tighten its grip on the semi-autonomous city.
Hong Kong officials had previously promised that the law would be limited in force and would target only a small number of marginal activists. However, critics claim that since its introduction, the law has been used to forcibly repress the once vibrant pro-democracy movement in the city.
Primary elections are a normal function in democracies around the world. At the time of the Hong Kong vote, the United States’ Democratic primaries, which President-elect Joe Biden won, were still in progress.
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists have had such votes in the past, in an attempt to equalize the organization and discipline of the rival pro-Beijing camp and avoid fragmentation of support.
City security secretary John Lee said on Wednesday that primary election organizers were trying to “paralyze the Hong Kong government” by gaining a majority in the legislature.
Of the 53 arrested on Wednesday, 52 are on bail, but are expected to hand over travel documents and report back to the police in early February, the police told CNN.
The remaining activist, former pro-democracy legislator Wu Chi-wai, was taken to court on Thursday after police said he had not handed over any travel documents when requesting bail in a previous case.
Lester Shum, a district councilor who was among those released on bail, called the mass arrest “ridiculous”.
“I think it is absurd because you are not claiming that I said anything after participating in the election for the Legislative Assembly. It only accuses me of subversion because we all participate in the democratic primary ”, he said.
Also among those arrested was American lawyer John Clancey, who was released on bail without charge. Associated with a Hong Kong law firm, Clancey also served as treasurer for Power for Democracy, a Hong Kong pro-democracy group that co-organized the election primaries.
His American passport was confiscated by the police, he told CNN on Thursday. His company, HO TSE WAI & Partners, was also raided by the police on Thursday, according to his partner. Clancey is the first foreign citizen without a Hong Kong passport to be arrested under national security law.
Mass arrests were met with strong condemnation from several countries. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the US would consider sanctions in response to the arrests, specifically targeting Clancey’s arrest. “I am also shocked by the news of the arrest of an American citizen as part of this political repression campaign,” he said in a statement. “The United States supports the people of Hong Kong and all those who yearn for freedom.”
Other governments have also expressed criticism and concern about prisons, including the United Kingdom, the European Union and Taiwan.
“The National Security Act is being used to crush dissent and stifle the exercise of human rights and political freedoms that are protected by Hong Kong’s basic law, as well as international law and China’s international obligations and commitments,” he said. European Commission spokesman Peter Stano on Wednesday, adding that the EU called for “immediate release” of prisoners.