Hong Kong Police Arrest Opposition Lawmakers Who Criticized Them

Police in Hong Kong on Wednesday arrested two pro-democracy lawmakers who have been strongly critical of police violence during last year's protest movement, as the city's Democratic Party condemned the move as a form of political intimidation. Ted Hui and Lam Cheuk-ting, both Democratic Party members of Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo), were taken away from their homes at about 6. a.m., the party said via social media.

The charges are believed to be in connection with a July 6 protest and the July 21, 2019 mob attack by white-shirted thugs on train passengers at Yuen Long MTR station, during which Lam was attacked and injured. Police said they had arrested four people in connection with a dispute between bystanders and a man seen taking photos of protesters outside Tuen Mun police station, adding that someone had snatched away the man's phone and deleted the pictures during the incident.

Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai said the arrests were a form of political retaliation amid ongoing police attempts to change the widely accepted narrative surrounding the July 21 attacks in Yuen Long.

Read more