HONG KONG (AP) – The sudden arrest of dozens of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, in the most comprehensive use of a new national security law to date, is a clear sign of Beijing’s determination to control political opposition in former British colony.
The police raid on Wednesday morning, widely condemned by Western government officials and human rights groups, is likely to further cool an already declining protest movement in China’s semi-autonomous territory.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The police arrested about 50 people, far more than in previous cases under the 6-month national security law. The targets appear to include all candidates who competed in the opposition’s unofficial primaries last year, before elections to the Hong Kong legislature. The city’s leader, Carrie Lam, later rejected the election, citing the coronavirus pandemic. Activists called their action a veiled attempt to thwart the opposition’s expected gains.
HOW CAN A PRIMARY BE A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY?
Security Secretary John Lee said the prisoners were suspected of trying to gain control of the legislature to paralyze government business. The subversion section of the national security law criminalizes “seriously interfering, disrupting or undermining the performance of duties and functions” of the Chinese or Hong Kong governments.
Lam said at the time of the primary that if his purpose was to resist all government initiatives, it could mean subverting state power. The central government has classified the primary as illegal and a “serious provocation” to Hong Kong’s electoral system.
WHAT IS THE PROBABLE IMPACT?
The arrests will remove more activists from the scene, reducing the possibility of further protests and eliminating many as future candidates for public office. They warn a younger generation that formed the backbone of the protests in 2014 and 2019 that even holding an unofficial primary could result in a lawsuit that could seriously impact their future.
Human Rights Watch said the crackdown is generating resistance, but the increasing restrictions on opposition activity and the persistent effects of the coronavirus on public life and the economy can permanently delay or discourage the emergence of a new generation willing to face Beijing.
BECAUSE NOW?
Beijing has been relentless in its efforts to prevent any repetition of the 2019 protests, which have become increasingly violent in response to the government’s refusal to respond to the protesters’ demands. They plunged Hong Kong into its biggest political crisis since its return to Chinese rule in 1997.
China is also determined to expel what it considers unjustified foreign government interference in its internal affairs. The nation’s new military, economic and political power is encouraging it to face the West, and it can take advantage of the distractions resulting from the pandemic and political disruptions in the United States and Europe.
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This story has been corrected to show that the age of the security law is six months, not seven months.