Hong Kong activist Wong arrested over unauthorized assembly
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong says he has been arrested again for allegedly participating in an unauthorized assembly last October
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong said he was arrested again Thursday for allegedly participating in an unauthorized assembly last October.
Wong tweeted that he was arrested when reporting to the semi-autonomous Chinese territory’s Central Police Station.
He said he was also accused of violating a pre-coronavirus pandemic law banning the wearing of masks in public places on the pretext they obscure identity.
Wong was expected to leave the police station and address journalists later Thursday.
He rose to prominence as a student leader during the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests for universal suffrage, and is among a growing number of activists being charged for various relatively minor offenses since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the territory that has severely restricted political speech.
He played a low-key role in mostly leaderless and sometimes violent anti-government protests last year that led to Beijing imposing the security law. However, with Beijing's encouragement, Hong Kong authorities have been pursuing charges against major opposition figures for illegal assembly and other minor infractions in what some call a campaign to harass and intimidate.