The top brass on Tuesday defended the inquiries as regular officers labor, with Hong Kong police questioning at least 10 community members and coworkers of foreign democracy activists wanted for national security acts in the course of a fortnight.
Authorities in China in December issued sanctions on six pro-democracy figures based abroad for allegedly breaking the city’s national security laws, a practice that the United States has referred to as” transnational repression.”
Authorities had investigated the Hong Kong-based associates of wealth targets, according to deputy police inspector Andrew Kan, adding that it was common to gather information from those who have connections to wanted fugitives.
” We brought in their family and friends to help our research”, Kan told reporters on Tuesday.
On Monday morning, the aunt and uncle of London-based advocate Carmen Lau were taken from their Hong Kong residence and afterwards seen leaving a policeman place.
” The regional security equipment has now reached my prolonged home,” the statement reads. On social media platform X, Lau claimed that this is nothing more than an attempt to intimidate Hong Kongers.
Federal security forces told AFP on six separate events since January 13 that it has “brought citizens to police channels” to assist with studies.
During that time, at least 10 people were interrogated, including the woman, child, three sisters, and three former Chung Kim-wah coworkers.
The majority of them left authorities channels without making an arrest.
None of them have made any public remarks about their condition. Individuals who “assist with the management of a event” must adhere to security laws under the national security law.
” Targeting friends and family”
Following extensive, sometimes violent demonstrations the year before, a comprehensive national security law passed in Hong Kong properly overthrows political opposition in the country.
Officials have been detained and imprisoned in Hong Kong in addition to a total of 19 outside democracy activists since 2023, while values of opposition figures have been detained and detained there.
Given that they are intended for people who reside in countries where political activists are unlikely to be extradited to Hong Kong or China, the rewards are viewed as generally symbolic.
The most recent developments, according to the US-based Hong Kong politics government, demonstrate how China is” considerably expanding the scope of its well-known technique of targeting friends and family of dissenters.”
Both Lau and Chung said they have ended relationships with their previous coworkers who are still based in Hong Kong.
Chung worked for the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute ( HKPORI), one of Hong Kong’s most recent independent polling bodies.
In addition to conducting surveys on Hong Kongers ‘ social outlooks and opinions regarding the 1989 Tiananmen Square assault, a contentious matter in Hong Kong and mainland China, HKPORI even conducted surveys.
In January, Hong Kong’s security chief Chris Tang told AFP that the questioning of Chung’s ex-colleagues had “absolutely nothing to do with the results of ( the group’s polls )”.
HKPORI stated days afterwards that it had suspended all self-funded research” for various technical reasons”
