After arrest of democratic leaders, Biden's secretary of state pick vows to stand with HK

民主黨主席被捕後，拜登的國務卿宣誓要與香港站在一起

Hong Kong authorities arrested at least 53 pro-democracy leaders in early morning raids


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The arrest of over 50 prominent pro-democracy figures (Jan. 6) under Hong Kong's oppressive new national security law for their involvement in last summer's pro-democracy primary election has met with consternation abroad as the city's Beijing-controlled administration stamps out any remaining opposition.

Steve Li, superintendent of the national security unit carrying out the arrests, said six of the 53 politicians and activists rounded up are being held on suspicion of subverting state power, an offense punishable by a sentence ranging from three years to life under the national security act that entered force June 30. The detainees included not only current and former legislators but also those who failed to make the cut in an unofficial primary held by the city's pro-democratic camp in July to choose candidates to run for the 35 directly elected seats out of the LegCo's 70.

Though over 600,000 Hongkongers cast their vote, the primary ended up being for naught, as the LegCo elections were ultimately called off by Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥), who cited safety concerns due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Many viewed the decision as a thinly veiled pretext to maintain control of the body.

National Security Department Senior Superintendent Li Guihua (李桂華) said the alleged subversion committed was based on the would-be legislators' plan, if elected, to leverage their newfound clout to paralyze the Beijing-backed government's agenda.

Within hours of the arrests, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, posted a tweet calling the early morning sweep an "assault" on rights advocates and pledging that the "the Biden-Harris administration will stand with the people of Hong Kong and against Beijing's crackdown on democracy."

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) also protested Wednesday's roundup on Twitter, saying it was a "deep shock" and called on free societies around the world to "unite against authoritarianism." Meanwhile, Presidential Office Spokesperson Kolas Yotaka said the incident "isn't national security, it's national brutality."

Among those arrested were current and former Democratic Party members of the LegCo — Gary Fan (范國威), James To (涂謹申), Andrew Wan (尹兆堅), Lam Cheuk-ting (林卓廷), Wu Chi-wai (胡志偉), Roy Kwong (鄺俊宇), Andrew Chiu (趙家賢), Kwok Ka-ki (郭家麒), and Gwyneth Ho (何桂藍) — according to the party's Facebook page.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (HKPORI), which had collaborated with the primary's organizers, denied earlier reports that its president, Robert TY Chung (鍾庭耀), was among those arrested. The institute was raided last July by police claiming to be following up on reports that HKPORI computers had been hacked.