FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Arrest of Joshua Wong signals escalating Hong Kong crackdown: Amnesty International

Arrest of Joshua Wong signals escalating Hong Kong crackdown: Amnesty International

Amnesty International (AI) says Thursday’s arrest of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong signals an intensification of the crackdown on dissent in the Chinese-ruled city. 

Wong and fellow opposition activist Koo Sze-yiu were arrested for taking part in a peaceful protest last October against Hong Kong’s anti-mask law.

“The arrest of one of Hong Kong's most prominent opposition figures for wearing a face mask at an ‘unauthorised’ protest – at a time when wearing a face mask is compulsory in the city – is yet another example of the government’s campaign to silence dissent by any means,” said AI’s Hong Kong director Lam Cho Ming.

“Today’s targeting of activists once again highlights the authorities’ escalating crackdown on critical voices, which is having a chilling effect on the freedom of peaceful assembly in Hong Kong."

AI said the mask ban violates international law and must be withdrawn, rather than used by the Hong Kong authorities as a pretext for arresting opponents.

Wong, 23, was charged with participating in the protest and violating the anti-mask law, before being released on Thursday.

The mask ban was introduced last year under the colonial-era Emergency Regulations Ordinance law. Despite Covid controls, the ban remains in place for assemblies not authorised by Hong Kong authorities.

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