Latest news with #NationalSecurityDepartment
Malaysian Reserve
a day ago
- Politics
- Malaysian Reserve
HK arrests 18-year-old for writing ‘seditious words' in bathroom
HONG KONG police arrested an 18-year-old on suspicion he left what they called 'seditious' messages in a bathroom, adding to a recent series of national security actions that signal authorities' continued efforts to curb dissent. The man is accused of being 'involved in writing seditious words in a commercial building toilet on three separate occasions,' the government said Wednesday. The content allegedly provoked hatred and disaffection against the government and incited others to defy the law. The move is the latest in a flurry of enforcement actions against perceived threats to the Chinese state in the former British colony. Hong Kong is seeking to burnish its status as a finance hub after its image took a hit from strict pandemic controls and clampdown on political freedoms. Earlier this month police arrested four men for allegedly advocating independence for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. In June, local authorities took their first known joint operation with Beijing's security officers to investigate a case of alleged foreign collusion. Police also banned a Taiwanese video game that month for allegedly calling for armed revolution. In its Wednesday statement, the National Security Department of the police charged the man for carrying out 'with a seditious intention an act or acts that had a seditious intention,' a crime that's punishable by up to seven years of imprisonment on first conviction. The offense is defined in the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, commonly known as Article 23, which was fast-tracked into domestic law last year. It's been invoked in addition to the Beijing-imposed National Security Law of 2020, which authorities used to detain and imprison dozens of leading democracy activists. The Hong Kong government didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. –BLOOMBERG
HKFP
a day ago
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong teen arrested for allegedly writing ‘seditious words' in commercial building toilet
A Hong Kong teenager has been arrested and charged after he allegedly wrote 'seditious' messages in the toilet of a commercial building on three occasions. The 18-year-old was arrested in Kowloon on Monday on suspicion of 'doing with a seditious intention an act or acts that had a seditious intention', the National Security Department of the police force said in a statement on Wednesday. He will be brought to the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on Wednesday afternoon to face one count of sedition charge, as well as three counts of criminal damage. According to the police, the messages were deemed to have provoked hatred, contempt or disaffection against the constitutional order and the executive, legislative or judicial authorities in Hong Kong. The contents also incited other people to commit illegal acts, the police alleged. 'Police remind members of the public that 'doing with a seditious intention an act or acts that had a seditious intention' is a serious offence. Offenders shall be liable to imprisonment for seven years on first conviction. Members of the public are urged not to defy the law,' the statement read. Sedition was originally outlawed under the colonial-era Crimes Ordinance and carried a maximum penalty of two years in prison. However, the law was repealed after sedition was incorporated into Hong Kong's domestic security legislation, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance — enacted in March 2024. More commonly known as Article 23 legislation, the ordinance is separate from the Beiing-imposed national security law enacted in 2020. The homegrown legislation targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-charge detention of up to 16 days, and suspects' access to lawyers may be restricted, with penalties involving up to life in prison. Article 23 was shelved in 2003 amid mass protests, remaining taboo for years. But, on March 23, 2024, it was enacted having been fast-tracked and unanimously approved at the city's opposition-free legislature. The law has been criticised by rights NGOs, Western states and the UN as vague, broad and 'regressive.' Authorities, however, cited perceived foreign interference and a constitutional duty to 'close loopholes' after the 2019 protests and unrest.
Mint
a day ago
- Politics
- Mint
HK Arrests 18-Year-Old for Writing ‘Seditious Words' in Bathroom
(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong police arrested an 18-year-old on suspicion he left what they called 'seditious' messages in a bathroom, adding to a recent series of national security actions that signal authorities' continued efforts to curb dissent. The man is accused of being 'involved in writing seditious words in a commercial building toilet on three separate occasions,' the government said Wednesday. The content allegedly provoked hatred and disaffection against the government and incited others to defy the law. The move is the latest in a flurry of enforcement actions against perceived threats to the Chinese state in the former British colony. Hong Kong is seeking to burnish its status as a finance hub after its image took a hit from strict pandemic controls and clampdown on political freedoms. Earlier this month police arrested four men for allegedly advocating independence for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. In June, local authorities took their first known joint operation with Beijing's security officers to investigate a case of alleged foreign collusion. Police also banned a Taiwanese video game that month for allegedly calling for armed revolution. In its Wednesday statement, the National Security Department of the police charged the man for carrying out 'with a seditious intention an act or acts that had a seditious intention,' a crime that's punishable by up to seven years of imprisonment on first conviction. The offense is defined in the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, commonly known as Article 23, which was fast-tracked into domestic law last year. It's been invoked in addition to the Beijing-imposed National Security Law of 2020, which authorities used to detain and imprison dozens of leading democracy activists. The Hong Kong government didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. More stories like this are available on
Yomiuri Shimbun
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Hong Kong Police Arrest 4 Men Linked to a Taiwan-Based Group and Accuse Them of Subversion
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police announced on Thursday that they arrested four people linked to a Taiwan-based group under a Beijing-imposed national security law, accusing them of conspiracy to commit subversion. Steve Li, Chief Superintendent of the National Security Department, said the arrests on Wednesday involved four men between 15 and 47 years old. They face up to life imprisonment if convicted. Police said their organization, reportedly called the Hong Kong Democratic Independence Union, was founded last year in Taiwan. The self-ruled island is one of the democratic territories where many Hong Kongers have emigrated to in recent years due to fears over Hong Kong's sweeping security law. The group's Facebook page only had dozens of followers. Li said the four men's roles included designing flags, studying how to solicit assistance from foreign countries, and planning to provide military training for members. During their search in Hong Kong, Li said police found a proposal to urge the U.S. to devise plans to save Hong Kong political prisoners as well as some flags that featured designs about Hong Kong and Tibet's independence. He said the group's members held an online news conference in Taipei in February, during which some of its members pledged to 'end the Communist Party' and 'Liberate Hong Kong,' among other goals. On July 1, when the former British colony marked the 28th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule, the group held an activity abroad that saw participants stepping on the Chinese national flag and Hong Kong's regional flag, Li said. He said members played the song 'Glory to Hong Kong,' which was often sung by demonstrators during huge anti-government protests in 2019 and was later banned by a court. Li said authorities have jurisdiction over Hong Kongers who commit the national security offences overseas. In response, the group condemned the government for what it called abusing the security law and suppressing freedom and human rights. It said on its Facebook page that it would not remain silent. Last month, Hong Kong police accused a mobile game application, developed by ESC Taiwan, of advocating armed revolution and promoting secessionist agendas. Critics said the crackdown under the national security law imposed in 2020 has stifled the city's freedom of expression and other Western-style civil liberties that Beijing promised to keep intact when Hong Kong returned to its rule in 1997. The Beijing and Hong Kong governments said the law is necessary for the city's stability following the protests in 2019.
HKFP
10-07-2025
- Politics
- HKFP
Hong Kong nat. security police arrest 4, aged 15 to 47, for alleged subversion via Taiwan-based group
Hong Kong national security police have arrested four people, aged 15 to 47, for allegedly conspiring to subvert state power through a Taiwan-based group that advocates for the city's independence. Steve Li, chief superintendent of the force's National Security Department, said on Thursday that the four male suspects were linked to the group, the Hong Kong Democratic Independence Union, which was established in Taiwan in November. The four held different positions in the group, including party secretary, council member, and general members, according to Li. They were arrested on Wednesday, and their digital devices indicated their activities in Hong Kong, Li said. Police also found 'a proposal urging the US to draft a plan for the rescue of political prisoners in Hong Kong, as well as flags that signify the secession of the country, including those for the independence of Hong Kong, Tibet, Guangdong, and Xinjiang,' Li said in Cantonese. In February, the organisation held an online press conference in Taipei, during which its members outlined the group's action plan, including the 'obliteration' of the Chinese Communist Party and the 'liberation' of Hong Kong, he said. The group also suggested setting up a temporary national flag and anthem and requested assistance from foreign countries, as well as providing military training for overseas Hongkongers, he added. On July 1, the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from Britain to China, the group held an event outside Hong Kong, during which participants trampled China's and Hong Kong's flags, Li said. The participants also hoisted a black bauhinia flag and played the protest anthem Glory to Hong Kong, he added. The black bauhinia flag and Glory to Hong Kong gained popularity during the pro-democracy protests and unrest in 2019. Authorities have said both elements were capable of endangering national security. Li said the arrest demonstrated the presence of overseas organisations that promote messages endangering national security. 'They even directed their followers in Hong Kong to conduct subversive acts,' he said. He also said the arrest of the 15-year-old boy highlighted the responsibility of parents to be watchful over their children's friends and online acquaintances. Li declined to comment on operational details and whether there would be further arrests. The group's Facebook page had 76 followers and was last updated on Tuesday, according to an HKFP search at 5pm on Thursday. One of its posts called for a flash mob protest in Taipei's shopping district Ximending on July 1 to raise a black flag.
