Hong Kong police arrest 50 pro-democracy activists under security law
06 January 2021
A group of former lawmakers were among dozens of pro-democracy activists arrested on Tuesday under the national security law imposed by China, per opposition groups and local media.
Why it matters: Hong Kong had enjoyed a high degree of autonomy, but the passage of the sweeping security law by Chinese lawmakers last June has led to a major crackdown on the pro-democracy movement. It has escalated in recent weeks, with the arrests of activists including media tycoon Jimmy Lai and the imprisonment of other prominent figures like Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow.
Those who participated in the pro-democracy primary were arrested this morning for “subversion” under National Security Law.
— LO Kin-hei 羅健熙 (@lokinhei) January 5, 2021
Apart from my party member, AU Nok Hin, Tiffany Yuen, Fergus Leung, Alvin Yeung, Ventus Lau & Gary Fan have also been arrested so far, and counting. https://t.co/O47VEZxDoM
What's new: Police took some 50 people into custody on Wednesday morning local time.
- Former lawmakers Alvin Yeung, Lam Cheuk-ting, Andrew Wan and James To were among those arrested "on allegations of subversion," per Bloomberg.
- Police also arrested activist Ventus Lau over the 2020 legislative election primaries organized by pro-democracy groups, Bloomberg notes.
Go deeper: Hong Kong's worst case scenario is happening
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.