Hong Kong campaigner tortured for Messi photo

A Hong Kong pro-democracy activist said yesterday he was abducted and tortured by suspected mainland Chinese security agents who stapled his legs as a warning against sending a signed photograph of football star Lionel Messi to a dissident’s widow.

The strange case follows a string of incidents that have raised fears among Hong Kong residents that Beijing is encroaching on the former British colony’s wide autonomy and civil liberties that are unknown on the mainland.

Howard Lam recounted his ordeal to reporters and showed them the staples still stuck in his legs, which he wanted documented before reporting to police and getting hospital treatment.

He said his captors warned him against sending the photograph to Liu Xia, the widow of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, who died last month in custody. Liu was reputed to be a fan of the Barcelona player.

Hong Kong police promised to “fully investigate” the case.