The city police during the largest ever crackdown under the controversial national security law in Hong Kong on Wednesday morning (local time) arrested a prominent American lawyer and at least 50 pro-democracy activists on charges of subversion by participating in an unofficial primary election that was held last year in a bid to increase the opposition's chances of controlling the legislature.
China's aggressive security law criminalizes acts of subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers to intervene in the city's affairs. Serious offenders could face a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
Largest move against Hong Kong's democracy movement
The mass arrests were the largest move against Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement since the national security law was imposed by Beijing in the semi-autonomous territory in June last year.
However, according to South China Morning Post reports, the city government has justified the crackdown as necessary measure to quash what the Communist government describes as the "mutual destruction" plan the pro-democracy protestors had hatched to overthrow the China-backed legislature.
Among those arrested included at least seven members of Hong Kong's Democratic Party — the city's largest opposition party — namely former party chairman Wu Chi-wai, former lawmakers Helena Wong, Lam Cheuk-ting, and James To, according to a post on the party's Facebook page.
The home of Joshua Wong, a prominent pro-democracy activist who is currently serving a 13 1/2-month prison sentence for organizing and participating in "an unauthorized protest" last year, was also raided during Wednesday's operation, according to a tweet posted from Wong's account.
China's fears of big election loss
Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu accused the opposition figures of trying to "overthrow [the government] or seriously interfere with ... the government's legal execution of duty", a plan he called "evil".
"They aimed to get 35 or more seats in the Legislative Council through [a primary] so that... they could veto regardless of the actual content of the government budget [and] create a situation in which the chief executive had to resign, and the government stopped functioning. This was to paralyse the government," he was quoted as saying by the Post.
"They had a 10 -step mutual destruction plan, in which they would mobilise mass-scale riots in streets, together with other actions to paralyse the society, coupled with international sanctions. The plan was to... [using their words] 'jump the cliff'," Lee added.
As per reports, most of those detained had either organised or taken part in primary contests held by the pan-democratic camp last July as part of a "35-plus" strategy to maximise their chances of taking control of the 70-member legislature.
Assault on those advocating universal rights: Biden team
Sources confirmed the Post that more than 30 police officers had also searched the offices of Ho Tse Wai & Partners, a law firm hired by numerous opposition figures, and arrested prominent American lawyer and human rights activist John Clancey.
Clancey, who worked as an associate at the firm, also served as a treasurer of the Power for Democracy, a Hong Kong-based political group which helped organise the primary.
Denouncing the move, Antony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden's pick for U.S. secretary of state, took to social media saying, "The sweeping arrests of pro-democracy demonstrators are an assault on those bravely advocating for universal rights."
"The Biden-Harris administration will stand with the people of Hong Kong and against Beijing's crackdown on democracy," Blinken added.
Clancey's arrest can also be viewed as another tip-off providing a renewed source of tension between Beijing and Washington, other than US sanctions and the suspension of numerous extradition treaties with Hong Kong by the outgoing Trump administration.
