Hong Kong police arrest 6 people accused of violating the city's new national security law
==========

Hong Kong police have arrested six people accused of publishing seditious social media posts, in what are the first publicly known arrests under the city’s new national security law. The arrests were made under the new security law introduced in March, which has expanded the government’s power to deal with challenges to its rule. The law punishes treason and insurrection with up to life imprisonment and imposes harsher penalties for sedition offenses. The arrested individuals, aged between 37 and 65, used a social media page to anonymously publish the posts starting in April. The posts aimed to provoke hatred against the central government, the Hong Kong government, and the city's judicial institutions, and incite netizens to organize or participate in illegal activities. The police statement did not provide further details on the social media page or the content of the posts. The introduction of the new security law has raised concerns about the erosion of Hong Kong's freedoms. Since its implementation, Hong Kong authorities have severely limited free speech and assembly, leading to the arrest, silencing, or self-exile of many activists. The Beijing and Hong Kong governments argue that the law has restored stability following the 2019 anti-government protests.

#HongKong #NationalSecurityLaw #Arrests #Sedition #SocialMedia

https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-article-23-security-law-first-arrests-85606b3a413ca82d002353214f1eb044