Hong Kong arrests two for sedition under national security law
The Hindu
Hong Kong police arrest two for sedition under new national security law, sparking concerns over freedom of speech.
Hong Kong police said on Saturday (August 31, 2024) that two people were arrested for sedition under a new national security law, accusing them of spreading hatred against Chinese and local authorities.
The arrests on Friday came only a day after the pro-democracy news outlet Stand News and two former editors were found guilty of sedition, the first conviction of its kind since the city came under Chinese rule in 1997.
Critics say officials in the Chinese finance hub have used the sedition offence, which has roots in British colonial rule, to target government critics and stifle dissent.
A man aged 41 and a 28-year-old woman were arrested on Friday for committing "an act or acts that had a seditious intention" and remained in custody, police said in a statement.
Hong Kong media reports said the arrests were made in connection to a note widely circulated on social media this week after a university professor was killed on railway tracks.
The author expressed suicidal thoughts due to despair over Hong Kong's future. AFP was unable to verify the identity of the person who wrote it.
Police said the woman was suspected of "publishing fraudulent 'last words' of the deceased in relation to a recent suicide case".
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