Hong Kong police grabbed four men connected to a Taiwan-based democracy group under the tough national security law. The arrests happened Wednesday and targeted guys between 15 and 47 years old. Chief Superintendent Steve Li from the National Security Department said the crew faces life behind bars if convicted. Police claim the group called itself the Hong Kong Democratic Independence Union and started up last year in Taiwan. The organization had only dozens of followers on Facebook.
Li said the four men designed flags and studied ways to get help from foreign countries. They also planned military training for members according to police. During searches, cops found a proposal asking America to help save Hong Kong political prisoners. Officers also discovered flags promoting Hong Kong and Tibetan independence.
The group held an online news conference in Taipei during February, where members promised to end the Communist Party and liberate Hong Kong. On July 1, when Hong Kong marked 28 years since returning to Chinese control, the group held an event abroad. Participants stepped on Chinese and Hong Kong flags while playing Glory to Hong Kong, a song banned by courts after 2019 protests.
Li said authorities can go after Hong Kong residents who break national security laws anywhere in the world. The group fired back on Facebook, condemning what they called abuse of the security law. Critics say the 2020 law has crushed freedoms that Beijing promised to protect when Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Li said the four men designed flags and studied ways to get help from foreign countries. They also planned military training for members according to police. During searches, cops found a proposal asking America to help save Hong Kong political prisoners. Officers also discovered flags promoting Hong Kong and Tibetan independence.
The group held an online news conference in Taipei during February, where members promised to end the Communist Party and liberate Hong Kong. On July 1, when Hong Kong marked 28 years since returning to Chinese control, the group held an event abroad. Participants stepped on Chinese and Hong Kong flags while playing Glory to Hong Kong, a song banned by courts after 2019 protests.
Li said authorities can go after Hong Kong residents who break national security laws anywhere in the world. The group fired back on Facebook, condemning what they called abuse of the security law. Critics say the 2020 law has crushed freedoms that Beijing promised to protect when Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
