In May, five democracy advocates were arrested in Hong Kong under China’s draconian National Security Law, which supposedly aims to crack down on secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces. The penalty? Up to life in prison. The democracy group, which includes a university professor and a 90-year-old Catholic bishop, were trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which provided legal aid to those partaking in Hong Kong’s June 12, 2019 pro-democracy protests. Their crime? Failing to register with the government.
Chinese authorities claim that this ruthless law has brought stability to the region after mass demonstrations in recent years, but many instead see it as a tool of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to suppress dissent and curb freedoms.
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