Police Arrest Dozens Over Pan-dem Primaries

Around 50 pro-democracy politicians and activists were arrested on Wednesday morning under the national security law over last year's primaries for Legco elections that didn't take place in the end.

Those arrested included former Hong Kong University legal scholar Benny Tai, who initiated the primaries, and Andrew Chiu who organised them, as well as former lawmakers James To, Wu Chi-wai, Andrew Wan, Lam Cheuk-ting, Helena Wong, Au Nok-hin, Chu Hoi-dick, Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki, Jeremy Tam and Gary Fan.

Others who took part in the primaries were also arrested, including Clarisse Yeung, Ventus Lau, Tiffany Yuen, Gwyneth Ho, Fergus Leung, Lester Shum, Owen Chow, Winnie Yu, Jeffrey Andrews and Sam Cheung.

A post on Joshua Wong's Facebook page said officers also raided his home in relation to the case. The activist is in prison over a protest outside police headquarters in 2019.

Meanwhile, police also turned up at the offices of Stand News.

A reporter for the online media outlet said officers had asked the editor-in-chief to sign documents related to a national security investigation and they were consulting lawyers.

The pan-democrats held the primaries in July to choose candidates for September's Legco elections, which the government later scrapped.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam had warned that the primaries could amount to an act of "subversion", while the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said the government had received complaints that the polls could be aimed at "manipulating" the Legco elections.

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