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Policemen arrested a human right defender in Aparri, Cagayan at around 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 28. Agnes Mesina, Makabayan-Cagayan Valley coordinator was with the community mercy outreach team when policemen came.

A member of the team was able to stream the arrest live via social media platform Facebook.

According to the officer, Mesina is being arrested for murder charges.

But on July 21, 2021, charges of murder against Mesina, along with Cordillera Peoples Alliance Chairperson Windel Bolinget and four other activists, were dismissed by Tagum Regional Trial Court Branch 30.

Ephraim Cortez, secretary general of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), said that “the arrest is illegal since the warrant had already lost its force and effect.”

“The PNP [Philippine National Police] definitely knows this, and should immediately release her,” Cortez said in a Facebook post.

Mesina was also subjected to red-tagging.

As of this writing, no information is available if new charges have been filed against Mesina.

The community outreach team was supposed to provide humanitarian aid, relief and psychological services to residents of barangay Sta. Clara, Gonzaga, Cagayan who experienced aerial bombing in the last week of January.

According to the Karapatan-Cagayan Valley, the team was blocked by a group of men holding tarpaulins bearing the names and photos of Mesina and Anakpawis Partylist 4th Nominee Isabelo “Ka Buting” Adviento. The humanitarian mission was also not allowed to enter the community.

“Due to intimidation and harassment, the team decided to not push through. Some of the men in motorcycles even tailed the team,” the group said.

In a statement, human rights group Karapatan said that “clearly, Mesina’s arrest is illegal and is meant to further block and intimidate the team from reaching the community in Gonzaga, Cagayan.”

“That her illegal arrest occurred amid the ongoing election campaign period also makes it clear that her arrest is part of ongoing efforts to harass, vilify, and suppress the Makabayan coalition and the political opposition,” the group added.

Amnesty International will close its two offices in Hong Kong by the end of the year, the organization announced today.

The local ‘section’ office will cease operations on 31 October while the regional office – which is part of Amnesty’s global International Secretariat – is due to close by the end of 2021. Regional operations will be moved to the organization’s other offices in the Asia-Pacific.

“This decision, made with a heavy heart, has been driven by Hong Kong’s national security law, which has made it effectively impossible for human rights organizations in Hong Kong to work freely and without fear of serious reprisals from the government,” said Anjhula Mya Singh Bais, chair of Amnesty’s International Board.

“Hong Kong has long been an ideal regional base for international civil society organizations, but the recent targeting of local human rights and trade union groups signals an intensification of the authorities’ campaign to rid the city of all dissenting voices. It is increasingly difficult for us to keep operating in such an unstable environment.”

There are two Amnesty International offices based in Hong Kong: a local membership section focused on human rights education in the city; and a regional office which carries out research, advocacy and campaigning work on East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific. All of the regional office’s work will continue from new locations.

“We are deeply indebted to Amnesty members and staff who over the last 40 years have worked tirelessly to protect human rights in and from Hong Kong. From successfully pushing for the full abolition of the death penalty in Hong Kong in 1993, to exposing evidence of excessive use of force by police during the 2019 mass protests, Amnesty in Hong Kong has shone a light on human rights violations in the darkest of days,” said Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

“In the wider region, our research and campaigning has tackled subjects including freedom of expression in North Korea, conscientious objection to military service in South Korea, the right to housing in Mongolia, Japan’s wartime atrocities against “comfort women”, and the crackdown on human rights lawyers in China.

“Moreover, Amnesty International Hong Kong’s education programmes – from classroom talks to a documentary film festival – have enhanced awareness of human rights not only in the city’s schools but among the general public as well. No one and no power can demolish that legacy.”

The national security law, imposed by the Chinese central government, was enacted on 30 June 2020. It targets alleged acts of “secession”, “subversion of state power”, “terrorist activities” and “collusion with foreign or external forces to endanger national security”.

Its sweeping and vaguely worded definition of “national security”, which follows that of the Beijing authorities, has been used arbitrarily as a pretext to restrict the human rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, as well as to repress dissent and political opposition.

Amnesty documented the rapid deterioration of human rights in Hong Kong one year after the enactment of the national security law in a June 2021 briefing.

“The environment of repression and perpetual uncertainty created by the national security law makes it impossible to know what activities might lead to criminal sanctions. The law has repeatedly been used to target people who have upset the authorities for any number of reasons – from singing political songs to discussing human rights issues in the classroom,” said Anjhula Mya Singh Bais.

“The pattern of raids, arrests and prosecutions against perceived opponents has highlighted how the vagueness of the law can be manipulated to build a case against whomsoever the authorities choose.”

A government crackdown targeting activists, opposition politicians and independent media has recently expanded to include civil society organizations. At least 35 groups have disbanded since the law was enacted, including some of the city’s largest unions and activist groups.

“There are difficult days ahead for human rights in Hong Kong, but Amnesty International will continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong. We will fight for their rights to be respected and we will be vigilant in our scrutiny of those who abuse them,” said Agnes Callamard.

“While leaving the city that we have called home for decades is devastating, we do so proud of our achievements over that time, and confident that the strength of Amnesty’s 10 million-plus supporters worldwide will enable us to continue our work together to end human rights abuses everywhere.”

Background

Amnesty International is a global human rights movement of 10 million people, with operations in more than 70 countries. The organization holds governments around the world accountable to equal standards under international law.

Amnesty’s local Hong Kong section works principally on building awareness of human rights issues in the city and is funded primarily by individual donations from the Hong Kong public.

The Hong Kong regional office – which has a sister location in Bangkok – conducts research, campaigning and advocacy work across the region including on mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Mongolia, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific islands.

The overwhelming majority of Amnesty’s income comes from individuals the world over. These personal and unaffiliated donations allow the organization to maintain full independence from any and all governments, political ideologies, economic interests or religions. Amnesty neither seeks nor accepts any funds for human rights research from governments or political parties.

A court in Hong Kong on Tuesday denied an application for bail from jailed democracy activists Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam pending their appeal against their sentence on charges related to "illegal assembly" during a mass siege of police headquarters on June 21, 2019.

Chow, who looked thinner and paler than in previous court appearances, wiped away tears in court as High Court judge Andrew Chan said he would be referring the case to the Court of Appeal, effectively denying the application for bail.

Some supporters shouted out encouragement to Chow, while Lam made the five-finger gesture of the 2019 pro-democracy movement representing five demands made by protesters, including fully democratic elections, an amnesty for jailed protesters, and accountability for police violence.

The hearing was also attended by outspoken Cardinal Joseph Zen. Police officers cordoned off the area around the court entrance with traffic barriers, and journalists weren't allowed to get close enough to take photos.

Lawyers for Lam and Chow later said the pair will both serve out their sentences, with Lam due to be released in April and Chow in June.

Chow, 24, was sentenced to seven months' imprisonment in Dec. 2 after pleading guilty to charges relating to "illegal assembly."

She was taken after sentencing to the medium-security Lo Wu Correctional Institution near the border with mainland China, but was later transferred to the Tai Lam Women's Correctional Institution, a Category A facility.

Category A prisoners, of whom there are only a few hundred in a city of seven million, are often people who have been convicted of murder or drug trafficking.

Fellow activist and former 2014 student leader Joshua Wong, who co-founded the now-disbanded political party Demosisto with Chow, is also believed to have been placed in Category A.

Fellow activists Joshua Wong, 24, and Lam, 26, were jailed for 13-and-a-half-months and seven months respectively by the West Kowloon District Court on Dec. 2, 2020.

All three defendants pleaded guilty to charges of "inciting others to take part in an illegal assembly" and "taking part in an illegal assembly," and their sentences were reduced in recognition of the guilty plea.

Oaths of allegiance

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong authorities are gearing up to require sitting members of the District Council to take an oath of allegiance to Hong Kong.

Secretary for mainland and constitutional affairs Eric Tsang said politicians whose oaths were deemed "insincere" would be stripped of their seats on the council.

Pro-democracy candidates swept to a landslide victory in the last District Council elections in November 2019, which came after several months of mass protest over Hong Kong's vanishing freedoms.

"The law will fulfill the constitutional responsibility of the government," Tsang said.

"You cannot say that you are patriotic but you do not love the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party or you do not respect it - this does not make sense," Tsang added. "Patriotism is holistic love."

The move came a day after a top ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official in charge of Hong Kong said that only patriots should be allowed to hold public office.

Under the draft legislation, any district councilor who fails the loyalty test will be sent to court for formal disqualification, and banned from taking part in elections for five years.

Mass disqualifications

Political commentators have warned that the authorities are gearing up for the mass disqualification of opposition politicians from the council, who currently hold nearly 90 percent of seats.

Tsang said four district councilors -- Lester Shum, Tiffany Yuen, Fergus Leung, and Tat Cheng -- have already been earmarked for disqualification.

“The returning officers at the time have already concluded that the four do not genuinely uphold the Basic Law. So theoretically speaking, they won’t be qualified to stay on as district councillors," Tsang told reporters in comments reported by government broadcaster RTHK.

A recent poll by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI) found that several different measures of freedom in Hong Kong were at their lowest level since the handover.

Academic freedom, freedom of association, and freedom of movement all dropped to their lowest ebb in a survey carried out in early February 2021, while press freedom and freedom of speech also returned low scores.

HKPORI deputy chief executive Chung Kim-wah said the freedom of movement figure reflects people's concerns over growing entry and exit controls at Hong Kong's borders, particularly after China said it would no longer recognize the British National Overseas (BNO) passport.

"First they were talking about countermeasures and non-recognition, and then we had the announcement that the BNO wouldn't be accepted as a travel document any more," Chung told RFA. "There were also rumors that there would be restrictions on people trying to leave."

"Our survey conducted at the beginning of this month reflects people's feelings on the BNO [issue]," he said.

Following the imposition of the national security law in Hong Kong, the U.K. launched an immigration scheme for BNO passport-holders that offers a potential pathway to work, study, and eventual citizenship to around five million of Hong Kong's seven million residents, drawing Beijing's ire.

Crackdown on dissent, opposition

The CCP imposed the draconian National Security Law for Hong Kong on the city from July 1, 2020, ushering in a crackdown on peaceful dissent and political opposition.

The law was described as "one of the greatest threats to human rights and the rule of law in Hong Kong since the 1997 handover" by legal experts at Georgetown University's Asian Law Center.

The report found that the authorities "have made vigorous use of the [law] over the past seven months, with over 100 arrests by the newly-created national security department in the Hong Kong police force."

"The vast majority of initial ... arrests would not be considered national security cases in other liberal constitutional jurisdictions," the report said.

It said there are "serious concerns" that the law is being used to suppress the basic political rights of Hong Kong residents.

"Prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights to free expression, association, or assembly ... violate Hong Kong and Beijing’s commitments under international human rights law," it said.

Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai has been arrested and charged with fraud.

The 73-year-old Lai appeared in a Hong Kong courtroom Thursday along with two other executives of his Next Digital company and was accused of violating terms of the company’s lease of its office space. He was denied bail and his case has been adjourned until next April.

Lai was arrested at his home in August and charged with suspicion of colluding with a foreign country under the city’s new national security law imposed by China. Hours after his arrest, more than 100 police officers raided the headquarters of Lai’s Next Digital company, which publishes the newspaper Apple Daily. The newspaper livestreamed the raid on its website, showing officers roaming the newsroom as they rummaged through reporters’ files, while Lai was led through the newsroom in handcuffs.

He was one of at least 10 people arrested that day, including at least one of Lai’s sons.

Lai is already in legal jeopardy for his pro-democracy activism. He was one of 15 activists arrested earlier this year and hit with seven charges, including organizing and participating in unauthorized assemblies and inciting others to take part in an unauthorized assembly.

Lai’s arrest Thursday comes a day after three young Hong Kong pro-democracy activists -- 24-year-old Joshua Wong, 23-year-old Agnes Chow and 26-year-old Ivan Lam -- received jail sentences between seven and 13 1/2 months in connection with a protest outside the city’s police headquarters in June 2019.

Lai is one of the highest-profile Hong Kongers targeted by the new security law since it went into effect in July. Under the law, anyone in Hong Kong believed to be carrying out terrorism, separatism, subversion of state power or collusion with foreign forces could be tried and face life in prison if convicted.

The new law was imposed by Beijing in response to the massive and often violent pro-democracy demonstrations that engulfed the financial hub in the last half of last year, and is the cornerstone of its increasing grip on the city, which was granted an unusual amount of freedoms when Britain handed over control in 1997.

Democracy activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow, and Ivan Lam on Monday pleaded guilty to public order charges in a Hong Kong court hearing, before being held in police custody pending a sentencing hearing scheduled for Dec. 2.

Wong, 24, admitted organizing an illegal assembly, while Chow pleaded guilty to taking part in an illegal assembly, while all three pleaded guilty to inciting people to attend an illegal gathering, charges which carry maximum jail terms of three years.

"Hang in there, everyone, keep going!" Wong told the court, before being taken away by correctional service officers.

Lam raised his hand, palm and fingers splayed to signify the five demands of last year's protest movement, while Chow made no response to the decision to hold the three in custody pending sentencing.

Dozens of supporters chanted "Release Joshua Wong! Release Agnes Chow! Release Ivan Lam" outside the court building, as well as repeating the five demands of the protest movement, which include fully democratic elections and accountability for widespread police violence.

The three were formerly leaders of the political party Demosisto, which disbanded just before the ruling Chinese Communist Party imposed a draconian national security law on Hong Kong on July 1, banning peaceful criticism of the authorities.

Wong had earlier told reporters that he wouldn't be surprised if the three were placed behind bars following the hearing at West Kowloon Magistrate's Court.

He said 23 activists, journalist, and democratic politicians had been arrested as the crackdown on peaceful dissent gathered pace.

Many arrests and raids have come after their targets were denounced in the pro-China media or by Chinese officials.

Defense lawyers called on the court to take into account the youth of the defendants and the fact that Chow, who, unlike Wong and Lam has never served time in jail before, had no prior convictions.

Magistrate Lily Wong said she would rule out a community service sentence for Lam due to his previous convictions.

Expected to be jailed

Joshua Wong, who was out on bail before the hearing, had earlier told reporters the trio had decided to plead guilty to avoid interrogation and investigation.

"But it also means that the three of us could be remanded in custody immediately," he said, calling on Hongkongers to support each other.

"We will want to call on the people of Hong Kong at this difficult time of white terror and persecution under the national security law ... to support each other through this low point in the pro-democracy movement," he said.

Chow said she felt "uneasy" at the thought of going to jail for the first time.

"It's entirely likely that I may be in jail for the first time in my life, and I have a lot of anxiety about what the future will bring," she said.

"But never forget that there are brothers, sisters, and friends who have suffered far worse than us," she said, calling for greater public pressure on China over the 12 Hongkongers currently detained by Chinese police after trying to flee to democratic Taiwan by speedboat.

Lam said he had made mental preparation for being remanded in police custody pending sentencing.

"Our case ... shows that the legitimacy of the Hong Kong police force has been blown to smithereens," Lam said. "Was the siege of police headquarters a crime, or was it necessary to achieve justice and fight for democracy?"

"I believe that the people of Hong Kong know the answer to that already," he said. "We have no regrets, and we will keep up the struggle."

The case against Wong relied on public comments he made on June 21, 2019, ahead of a mass protest over police violence that resulted in the siege of police headquarters in Wanchai, as well as a message on his phone detailing the timing and arrangements for the protest.

On the day in question, crowds of mostly young people wearing black converged on immigration and tax headquarters in Wanchai, sparking temporary shutdowns of the offices, before gathering in their thousands outside police headquarters to call for the release of those already arrested, and to demand an apology for police violence against unarmed protesters the previous week.

Some activists barricaded a vehicle gate in the barbed-wire wall of the fortress-like compound, prevented police vans from getting in or out, and taped up CCTV cameras to avoid being identified. Others blocked nearby highways with makeshift walls, cones, and traffic barriers, taking over several major traffic routes.

Police in uniform lined up inside the glass atrium of their own headquarters, with officers watching warily as the crowd chanted "Release them! Release them!" and "Apologize! Apologize!" on the street outside, where someone had taped a large poster to the building that read "Struggle to the bitter end."

The crowd also chanted: "Retract the designation of rioting! Stop arresting citizens!"

London-based rights group Amnesty International had earlier condemned police violence during protests on June 12 as violating international law, after evaluating video footage of the clashes.

Wong joined the June 21 protest just three days after his release from an earlier jail sentence related to the 2014 Occupy Central pro-democracy movement.

'Poisoned judicial system'

The U.S.-based Hong Kong Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC) condemned the decision to remand Wong, Chow, and Lam in custody pending sentencing.

“We condemn Magistrate Lily Wong’s decision today to jail Wong, Chow, and Lam while awaiting sentencing for exercising their rights to protest," the group's managing director Samuel Chu said in a statement.

"Make no mistake, when they pled guilty in court today, it was not a judgment on them, but rather a judgment against a poisoned Hong Kong judiciary system no longer independent or capable of rendering justice," Chu said.

Since the beginning of November, Hong Kong authorities have arrested a public radio show producer, pro-democracy lawmakers, a primary school teacher, owners of small businesses who have expressed support for the protest, [among others], the HKDC said, calling for the trio to be released immediately.

"We cannot remain silent or surrender to the terror," it said.

Hong Kong police arrested prominent democracy activist Joshua Wong on Thursday for participating in an unauthorised assembly in October 2019 and violating the city's anti-mask law, according to a post on his official Twitter account.

Wong's latest arrest adds to several unlawful assembly charges or suspected offences he and other activists are facing related to last year's pro-democracy protests, which prompted Beijing to impose a sweeping national security law on June 30.

Hong Kong police confirmed they arrested two men, aged 23 and 74, on Thursday for illegal assembly on Oct 5, 2019.

The arrest of Wong, aged 23, comes around 6 weeks after media tycoon Jimmy Lai was detained on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces.

Wong had been a frequent visitor to Washington where he appealed to the U.S. Congress to support Hong Kong's democracy movement and counter Beijing's tightening grip over the global financial hub. His visits drew the wrath of Beijing, which says he is a "black hand" of foreign forces.

Wong disbanded his pro-democracy group Demosisto in June, just hours after China's parliament passed national security law for Hong Kong, bypassing the city's local legislature, a move widely criticised by Western governments.

His long-time colleague, Agnes Chow, and two other activists were also among 10 people police arrested in August on suspicion of violating the new law.

The new law punishes anything China considers as subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, with up to life in prison.

Wong was just 17 years old when he became the face of the 2014 student-led Umbrella Movement democracy protests, but he was not a leading figure of the often violent unrest that shook the semi-autonomous former British colony last year.

An anti-mask law was introduced last year in a bid to help police identify the protesters they suspected of committing crimes and it is facing a challenge in court. In the meantime, the Hong Kong government has made face masks mandatory in most circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The European Union on Thursday criticised the arrest of the prominent activist, saying it was "troubling" and undermined trust in China.

"The arrest of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong on 24 September is the latest in a troubling series of arrests of pro-democracy activists since the summer," an EU spokesperson said, calling for "very careful scrutiny" by the judiciary.

"Developments in Hong Kong call into question China's will to uphold its international commitments, undermine trust and impact EU-China relations."

The EU has repeatedly voiced concern at the new Hong Kong security law, which critics say erodes important freedoms in the city.

Last week senior EU leaders pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping over the situation in Hong Kong at a video summit, saying democratic rights in the city must be preserved.

An opposition activist was arrested in Hong Kong on Sunday (Sep 6) by a new police squad for "uttering seditious words", hours before a rally against a controversial security law.

The arrest of Tam Tak-chi, vice president of radical democratic party People Power, is the latest detention of a high profile democracy supporter in the financial hub and came on the morning Hongkongers had been due to vote in a general election, delayed because of the coronavirus.

An unauthorised protest in opposition to a new law that gives authorities sweeping powers - as well as the poll's postponement and a Beijing-backed COVID-19 testing programme - had more than 10,000 online subscribers.

Tam, a former radio presenter known "Fast Beat", was arrested at his home in north east Hong Kong by police officers from the national security squad, although he was not detained under the new law, police said.

"The gentleman we arrested this morning was arrested for uttering seditious words under the Crimes Ordinance's section ten," senior superintendent Li Kwai-wah said, referring to legislation enacted in the British colonial era to clamp down anti-government expressions.

According to Li, Tam was held for using words that "brought into hatred and contempt of the government and raised discontent and disaffection among Hong Kong people" in speeches made across Hong Kong this summer.

Li said the national security police was leading the arrest because at the initial stage of investigation the force suspected Tam of committing "incitement to secession" in article 21 of the national security law.

"But after collection of evidence and consulting the Department of Justice, we decided that it is more suitable to use the Crimes Ordinance," Li said.

Since the national security law was passed in Beijing and implemented in Hong Kong on Jun 30, 21 people, including pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai and prominent activist Agnes Chow, have been arrested for allegations of "incitement to secession", "collusion with foreign forces" and "terrorism acts".

Hong Kong's administration insists the law has not impinged on the rights to freedom of speech and assembly guaranteed to the territory when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Yet certain opinions and expressions in previously free-wheeling Hong Kong have become illegal, and activists have spoken of a deep chilling effect that has seen books yanked from libraries and publishers rush to amend their titles.

One of Hong Kong�s most strident pro-democracy figures has been arrested and the offices of the newspaper he owns searched by police in a stark escalation by authorities enforcing a new national security law brought in by Beijing.

The raid on Apple Daily, Hong Kong�s largest pro-democracy daily paper, and arrest of Jimmy Lai and other senior executives were condemned by activists and journalists, who said they marked �the day press freedom officially died�.

Apple Daily�s publisher, Next Digital Media, said it was �furious� about the raid and arrests. It warned that press freedom was �hanging by a thread� but said its staff remained committed to defending it.

Lai, a 71-year-old media tycoon and outspoken supporter of Hong Kong�s pro-democracy movement, was arrested alongside six others including his son on Monday morning on suspicion of �collusion with foreign forces� and conspiracy to commit fraud.

In a separate incident the pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow was also arrested under the new law, her fellow activist Nathan Law said.

Hong Kong police said nine men and one woman, aged between 23 and 72, had been arrested.

Hundreds of police descended on the Apple Daily building in an unprecedented hours-long raid, which was live-streamed by dozens of the paper�s staff.

�Tell your colleagues to keep their hands off until our lawyers check the warrant,� the editor-in-chief, Ryan Law Wai-kwong, told police. Staff were ordered to produce ID. Midway through the raid a handcuffed Lai was marched through the newsroom.

Thousands watched the streams, which appeared to contradict police claims that �news materials� would not be targeted, as officers casually rifled through papers on journalists� desks. Boxes of documents were confiscated.

Later, police barred news organisations including Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press and the public broadcaster RTHK from attending a press conference about the search.

The Hong Kong journalist association head, Chris Yeung, said the raid was �horrendous�. �I think in some third-world countries there has been this kind of press freedom suppression, I just didn�t expect it to be in Hong Kong,� he told media.

Next Digital accused police of abusing their power and authorities of �breaching press freedom through intimidation and creating an atmosphere of white fear�.

The arrest of Lai, while not unexpected, has alarmed the city, which has been on edge after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law outlawing sedition and secessionist activities, and foreign collusion.

Lai, who also holds UK citizenship, is the most high-profile figure detained under the law. If charged and convicted, he could face potential sentences of three to 10 years in prison � or up to life for an offence �of a grave nature�.

In 2019 state media labelled him one of a new �Gang of Four� conspiring against Beijing. He is already facing several charges over involvement in last year�s pro-democracy protests, and he was one of 25 people charged on Friday over attending a Tiananmen Square massacre vigil in June. Hong Kong�s security laws: what are they and why are they so controversial? Read more

A report in hawkish Chinese state media mouthpiece the Global Times labelled Lai a �modern-day traitor� and suggested he was unlikely to receive bail and would face �heavy penalties�.

Hong Kong journalists have repeatedly warned that the law would have a chilling affect on local media.

The activist and legislator Eddie Chu Hoi-dick accused the Chinese Communist party of wanting to close Apple Daily, and said Lai�s arrest was �the first step of [a] HK media blackout�.

Claudia Mo, a pro-democracy legislator and a former journalist, said she was more surprised by the raid than the arrest. �This is just so drastic and blatant,� she told the Guardian.

Keith Richburg, a veteran correspondent and now head of Hong Kong University�s media school, said the raid and arrests were outrageous. �I think you can say that is the day press freedom officially died, and it didn�t die a natural death. It was killed by Beijing and it was killed by Carrie Lam and Hong Kong police,� he said.

The police operation marked the first time the law has been used against media in Hong Kong, which has historically had a high level of press freedom. Last month the New York Times announced it was moving part of its Hong Kong bureau to South Korea.

Several outlets have complained of foreign journalist visas not being renewed. On Monday the Standard news website reported that the immigration department had established a national security unit to vet �sensitive� visa applications, including from journalists.

Chinese and Hong Kong officials had promised the security law would not impinge on the city�s civil freedoms, including its independent press. �Today�s police action upends those assurances,� the Foreign Correspondents� Club of Hong Kong said in a statement.

Benedict Rogers, a co-founder and the chair of Hong Kong Watch, said: �To arrest one of the most moderate, peaceful and internationally respected voices for democracy in Hong Kong � sends the message that no one is safe in Hong Kong unless they stay completely silent and do exactly as Xi Jinping�s brutal regime says.�

There was some speculation that the arrests were retaliation for US sanctions against senior Hong Kong officials, including Lam. The accusations against Lai have been at least partly driven by his meetings with and support from senior US figures including the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo.

In response to the US sanctions, China�s foreign ministry on Monday said that it would be placing sanctions on 11 US officials and lawmakers. A foreign ministry spokesman condemned the US for its �blatant interference� in China�s internal affairs.

On Monday afternoon the stock price of Next Digital, which is owned by Lai, rose more than 300% after some analysts reportedly said they would buy in protest against his arrest.

Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung has been banned by the Hong Kong court from travelling to London to receive a human rights award from the British parliament, as he faces a charge of inciting anti-government protesters to besiege the police headquarters.

Madam Justice Esther Toh Lye-ping of the High Court on Tuesday refused Wong’s application to vary his bail conditions and lift a travel ban, citing heightened risk of absconding.

Toh said Wong did not need to be present in British parliamentary hearings and meetings in which he was invited, and could instead remain in Hong Kong to help the city return to peace.

Wong, secretary general of localist party Demosisto, was named the recipient of the Westminster Award for Human Life, Human Rights, and Human Dignity by both houses of parliament in Britain, for his “commitments to universal suffrage, human rights and free speech”.

He was the second Chinese person to receive the prize after blind mainland activist Chen Guangcheng was awarded in 2013. District council polls ban was ‘arbitrary’ decision, Joshua Wong says

Wong initially planned to leave Hong Kong next week for 20 days, during which he would attend parliamental hearings and deliver speeches in six European countries, and receive the prize in the Palace of Westminster on December 12.

But Hong Kong’s Eastern Court imposed a travel ban on Wong on August 30 after he was charged with organising, taking part in, and inciting others to take part in an unlawful assembly outside the Wan Chai police headquarters on June 21.

The lower court also refused to lift the ban earlier this month, saying Wong’s proposed trip was “not very important”.

Wong said he was disappointed with the ruling which amounted to “an extra punishment” before he was convicted by the court.

A statement by Demosisto said the court was now under immense pressure following Beijing’s criticism over its ruling on Monday that the anti-mask law was unconstitutional.

“Even in times of social turmoil, it’s really inappropriate and unnecessary for the court to step in and comment on how politicians should behave,” Wong said on Facebook.

He was charged alongside party member Agnes Chow Ting and chairman Ivan Lam Long-yin. The trio will appear in court again on December 19.

Shillong: Meghalaya women's rights activist, Agnes Kharshiing, and her two companions were brutally assaulted in a coal belt area in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district on Thursday. Medical officials at the North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health Medical Sciences said that Kharshiing is in a critical condition with cut injuries on her skull bone. Her companion Amita Sangma also suffered severe injuries besides their driver E Kurbah, who is also para legal volunteer. Both are admitted in NEIGRIHMS "A group of 30-40 people, including women who are mostly dealing with coal trade, attacked us at Lum Sohshrew area around the coal depots after Kharshiing went and lodged a complaint at the Lad Rymbai police station on the illegal mining and transportation of coal in the district," Kurbah said. The NGT had ordered an interim ban on "rat-hole" coal mining in Meghalaya from April 17, 2014, after the All Dimasa Students' Union and the Dima Hasao District Committee filed an application before the tribunal alleging that the water of the Kopili river was turning acidic due to coal mining in the Jaintia Hills. "We were waylaid by a three to four vehicles and they later dragged us out of the vehicle. They snatched away our mobile phones. They kicked and punched us and Kharshiing was hit by a log from behind. It was a scary incident. I managed to escape from the scene after pleading with the attackers to leave me alone. I informed police personnel at Lad Jowai," Kurbah said. R Chandranathan, who took over as Meghalaya police chief on Thursday, told IANS that he has directed the local police to register a case and bring the perpetrators to book. "A police officer of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police will investigate the incident," Chandranathan said. The attack on Kharshiing, who is also the chairperson of Civil Society Women's Organisation, an influential women's group, was the second attack on social activist in East Jaintia Hills district. On March 19 this year, RTI activist, Poipynhun Majaw, who was the president of the Jaintia Youth Federation was attacked and found murdered in Khliehriat, the district headquarters of East Jaintia Hills. Meanwhile, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma strongly condemned the incident of attack on Agnes Kharshiing and her team. "We have issued necessary directions to the police and district administration to investigate the matter and arrest those behind the attack. Civil Society plays an important role in a democratic system as they are instrumental in highlighting the concerns of the people." Sangma said in a statement. "Violence in any form will not be tolerated and the government will take all necessary steps to ensure that those behind the attack are brought to justice," the statement said.

A political party formed by the leaders of the 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong has stepped up its fight to win legal recognition after its application to register as a company was rejected. Former Occupy Central student leader and current secretary general of Demosisto Joshua Wong applied on Tuesday for a judicial review over the authorities' refusal to register the party. Wong is requesting that the city's High Court review the decision, after the group's application to the Companies Registry was rejected on the grounds that the party advocates self-determination for Hong Kong, which Beijing sees as akin to a pro-independence stance. "They dragged it out for nearly two years, so it's pretty clear that the Companies Registry had political issues to consider," Wong told reporters on Tuesday. "In the absence of any Hong Kong law on political parties, it is entirely reasonable for political groups to register as companies." "Demosisto isn't advocating armed revolution or any acts of violence, so why would it be turned down by the Companies Registry on political grounds? It beggars belief," he said. The rejection of the party's application comes after it was denied a bank account two years ago, making it very hard for the party to manage its finances properly, Wong said. "Hong Kong people deserve freedom of speech and deserve the right to express different political stances or opinions," he said. Chinese officials have repeatedly warned that advocates of independence for Hong Kong won't be tolerated in public life. Wong said the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party has also been refused permission to register as a company. "Last year, the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party was rejected by the Companies Registry, and this year Demosisto, which supports self-determination, was rejected when it tried to set up as a limited company," Wong said. "Maybe in future any party that espouses the principles of democracy and the rule of law, or any group that wants to end one-party rule[in China] will also be denied permission to register as a company, for overriding reasons of 'national security'?" he said. Demosisto initially had some success at the polls, with former Occupy Central student leader Nathan Law becoming the youngest ever candidate to be elected to the city's Legislative Council (LegCo) in September 2016. But last July, Law became one of six pro-democracy lawmakers to be stripped of their LegCo seats after China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), ruled that oaths of allegiance must be "solemn and sincere." Last month, Demosisto's Agnes Chow was disqualified from running in a by-election to fill the seat vacated by law, because her political views were judged to be pro-independence. A blow to democracy The barring of certain candidates because of their political views sparked widespread criticism among barristers, rights groups and politicians, as well as former British and Hong Kong officials, who said the move was a blow to democracy and freedom of expression in the former British colony. An official who answered the phone at the Treasury on Tuesday said they were unable to comment on individual cases. But they said that any organization that clearly contravenes the principles of the city's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, would be disqualified from registering under the Companies Ordinance. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper reported last week that the head of a British parliamentary committee on China had traveled to Hong Kong to investigate the legal basis of election officials' decision to ban Chow from running in the election. Conservative MP Richard Graham, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary China Group, told the paper that the delegation hoped to learn more about the legal basis of the ban on Chow. In February, the British Foreign Office said it was concerned over the debarring of Chow, citing Article 26 of the Basic Law, which states that: "Permanent residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall have the right to vote and the right to stand for election in accordance with law." Last August, a Hong Kong court jailed Wong, Law and former student leader Alex Chow for their part in the Occupy protests, after the city's department of justice said their original non-jail sentences were too lenient. They served several weeks in jail, but were later released on bail and their sentences quashed by the Court of Final Appeal, which ruled that tougher sentencing guidelines on public protest couldn't be retroactively applied. But the court warned that future sentences for those involved in mass public protests could be much tougher.

A Meghalaya youth leader and Right to Information activist was killed in a coal belt in the hill State's East Jaintia Hills district on Tuesday morning. Police said the body of Poipynhun Majaw, the president of Jaintia Youth Federation (JYF), was found on Rymbai Road near Khliehriat, the headquarters of East Jaintia Hills district bordering Bangladesh and a prime mining area in the State. "We found wounds on his head probably caused by a heavy iron object. This looks like a case of murder, but we are waiting for the post mortem report to find the culprits and uncover the motive behind the murder," Nazarius Lamare, the district's Superintendent of Police told The Hindu. "Mr. Majaw lived in Jowai (22 km from Khliehriat) and had come to Khliehriat yesterday (Monday). He was last seen at the deputy commissioner's office about 3pm," Mr. Lamare said. A.R. Mawthoh, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Eastern Range), said a wrench was found near Mr. Majaw's body and that the police were hunting for more clues. Misuse of public funds Rights activists say they suspect the 38-year-old Mr. Majaw could have paid the price for exposing a nexus between heads of the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) and cement companies that were allegedly allowed to mine limestone without permission. Besides coal, East Jaintia Hills district is rich in limestone. A year ago, Mr. Majaw had, through RTI, revealed misuse of public funds by the JHADC and its leniency towards more than a dozen cement companies that were violating the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and mining limestone without permission. These cement companies, owned by non-locals in the Narpuh area of the district, have allegedly been accused of operating against the interest of local people and harming the fragile ecology of the area. The JHADC, currently headed by Andrew Shullai, denied any "evil nexus' with cement companies. "A former chief executive member of JHADC was arrested after Mr. Majaw filed an RTI and exposed a scam in the council. He had given to the police recordings of threats from this chief executive member," Agnes Kharshiing of Civil Society Women's Organisation said. "We condemn this murder and demand stern action against those responsible for Mr. Majaw's death," she said.

One of Hong Kong's best-known democracy activists was banned Saturday from standing as lawmaker in upcoming elections, the latest blow to freedoms in the city as Beijing tightens its grip. Agnes Chow, 21, a former leader of the mass Umbrella Movement protests of 2014 that called for political reform, had her nomination rejected because she supports self-determination for the semi-autonomous city, the government said. It comes as fears grow that political debate in the city is being shut down under pressure from an assertive Beijing, with the recent jailing of democracy activists fuelling concern. The emergence of campaigners calling for independence for Hong Kong since the failure of the Umbrella Movement to win reform has incensed Beijing, and President Xi Jinping has made it clear that he will not tolerate any challenge to Chinese sovereignty. The pro-Beijing Hong Kong government has previously barred independence activists from standing for office, but Chow's ban is the first against a more moderate campaigner. She had been hoping to stand in by-elections in March, which were triggered by the disqualification from the legislature of six lawmakers who protested while taking their oaths of office in 2016. "Self-determination or changing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) system by referendum which includes the choice of independence is inconsistent with the constitutional and legal status of HKSAR," the government said. It added that someone who "advocates or promotes" self-determination or independence cannot uphold the city's mini-constitution, the Basic Law. Chow is a member of Demosisto, a political party co-founded by leading democracy campaigner Joshua Wong, who is currently out on bail after being jailed for his role in the 2014 rallies. Demosisto does not campaign for independence but advocates self-determination and a referendum for Hong Kong people to decide how they want to be governed. The ban on Chow has wide-scale implications for other similar activists wanting to stand for office, including Wong. Demosisto said it "strongly condemns" what it called a political decision. "The government's motivation is to eliminate the hopes of an entire generation of young people," it said in a statement. The ban is also another set-back for the pan-democratic camp, which is trying to win back the six seats it lost due to the disqualifications. Losing the six seats robbed it of the one-third minority vote needed to block important bills in the pro-Beijing legislature. Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal that grants it a partially elected legislature and rights unseen on the mainland, including freedom of speech and the right to protest. But there are growing fears those liberties are being eroded. The Basic Law specifies that Hong Kong is an "inalienable" part of China, but activists say that does not mean views that challenge that status should be silenced, given that freedom of speech is protected.

Joshua Wong, the student activist who became a global symbol of the fight for democracy in Hong Kong, has reportedly been detained in Thailand following a request from China and will shortly be flown back to Hong Kong. Wong's political party Demosist? posted on Facebook that he had travelled to Bangkok after being invited to speak at the city's Chulalongkorn University about his campaign for democracy. However Netiwit Chotipatpaisal, the Thai student-activist who was due to meet Wong in Bangkok, notified the party that Wong has been detained at Suvarnabhumi airport. "According to Chotipatpaisal, the Thai authorities have received a letter from the Chinese government earlier regarding Wong's visit. His request to see Wong, who is still currently in custody, has also been declined," the Demosist? post said. "Demosist? strongly condemns the Thai government for unreasonably limiting Wong's freedom and right to entry, and requests the immediate release of Wong. "In the meantime, we request the Hong Kong immigration department's assistance in assuring Wong's safety." The Guardian understands that Wong will return to Hong Kong on Wednesday. One source with knowledge of the trip said he was currently being held in custody at the airport. Immigration officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport confirmed to Reuters that Wong was prevented from entering Thailand and would be sent back to Hong Kong. Prominent members of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement accused Beijing of being behind Wong's deportation. Agnes Chow, the deputy secretary general of Demosist?, said: "We believe that the Chinese government is using all ways to stop us spreading democratic ideas from Hong Kong to other countries. But bigger suppression makes a stronger fight. "We just hope that Joshua is safe," the 19-year-old activist added. "We will not give up the fight for democracy and the fight against the Chinese government which disrespects human rights." Nathan Law, Demosist?'s president, told Hong Kong radio he believed there was "some connection" between Wong's detention and Beijing. Wong, 19, was due to address students at Chulalongkorn University at an event to mark the 40th anniversary of a massacre of pro-democracy students by security forces and royalist militias in 1976. The Thammasat massacre of 6 October 6 1976, remains a deeply sensitive issue in Thailand's turbulent recent history, and was the prelude to a military coup. He was expected to talk about his experiences during the 79-day umbrella movement protests in Hong Kong in 2014. Jason Ng, a Hong Kong-based writer who knows Wong, said that before leaving Hong Kong the student activist had voiced concerns that he might not be allowed to enter Thailand. The suspected abduction of Hong Kong bookseller Gui Minhai last year by Chinese agents had also left Wong nervous about potential risks to his well-being. "He was... most concerned about his personal safety, being abducted or attacked. Being turned back is one thing, getting hurt or disappearing is another," said Ng, the author of a book on Hong Kong's umbrella movement protests. To guard against such threats, ahead of Wong's trip to Thailand supporters set up an encrypted group on the messaging service WhatsApp through which the activist could notify Bangkok-based academics and journalists of any problems. Wong's detention appeared to be the latest example of the closer ties between Thailand's military regime and China's Communist rulers, who consider the student activist a subversive. Since the 2014 coup in Thailand, a series of incidents have underlined Beijing's influence in the south-east Asian country. In October last year a Hong Kong publisher who specialised in salacious books about the Communist party elite vanished from his seafront apartment in the Thai resort town Pattaya, only to reappear in custody in mainland China where he is now being held. At around the same time, a Chinese journalist and campaigner called Li Xin fled China, hoping to claim political asylum in Thailand. However, he disappeared while traveling from Thailand to Laos. "I warned him to be very careful in Thailand. It is very dangerous here," one Chinese exile living in Bangkok said at the time. A number of other Chinese dissidents and members of the Uighur ethnic minority from western China have also been deported back to China at the request of its government. Netiwit, who said he waited at the airport until 3am after Wong's Emirates Airline flight landed at 11:45pm, said his treatment amounted to "censorship". "Actually Joshua Wong was just in Taipei, Taiwan, and he was able to travel there and stayed there for two-to-three days," he told the Khaosod news website. "Thailand should stay out of the Chinese sphere of power, but we're not able to do this." Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said: "Thailand's arrest of Joshua Wong, a well-known pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong, sadly suggests that Bangkok is willing to do Beijing's bidding. Wong should be freed immediately and allowed to travel and exercise his right to free expression."