HK ARRESTS 'DEMOCRACY'

Hong Kong police on Sunday detained 47 pro-democracy activists on charges of conspiracy to commit subversion under the city’s national security law — in the largest mass charge against the semiautonomous Chinese territory’s opposition camp since the law came into effect last June.

The former lawmakers and democracy advocates had been previously arrested in a sweeping police operation in January but were released. They have been detained again and will appear in court on Monday, police said in a statement.

They allegedly violated the national security law imposed by Beijing for participating in unofficial election primaries for Hong Kong’s legislature last year.

The move is part of a continuing crackdown on the city’s democracy movement, with a string of arrests and prosecutions of Hong Kong’s democracy proponents — including outspoken activists Joshua Wong and Jimmy Lai — following months of anti-government protests in 2019.

The pro-democracy camp had held the primaries to determine the best candidates to field to win a majority in the legislature and had plans to vote down major bills, eventually forcing Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to resign.

In January, 55 activists and former lawmakers were arrested for their roles in the primaries.

Authorities said the activists’ participation was part of a plan to paralyze the city’s legislature and subvert state power.

The legislative election that would have followed the unofficial primaries was postponed for a year by Lam, citing the pandemic.