Today’s arrests signal without a doubt that Beijing intends to intensify its crackdown on basic rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.

Today, the National Security Police arrested four trustees of the defunct 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, including barrister Margaret Ng, singer Denise Ho, Cardinal Joseph Zen, and academic scholar Hui Po-keung, for “collusion with foreign forces”.

The 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which funded legal aid to pro-democracy protestors throughout the 2019 pro-democracy movement, closed its operations in 2021.

Hui Po-keung, who is an academic scholar, was arrested at Hong Kong International Airport as he attempted to leave the city. The four will be released on bail.

Commenting on the arrests, Benedict Rogers, Hong Kong Watch’s Chief Executive, said:

“We condemn the arrests of these activists whose supposed crime was funding legal aid for pro-democracy protestors back in 2019.

“Today’s arrests signal beyond a doubt that Beijing intends to intensify its crackdown on basic rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.

“We urge the international community to shine a light on this brutal crackdown and call for the immediate release of these activists.”

Lord Alton of Liverpool, a Patron of Hong Kong Watch, today tabled a question in Parliament about these acts and contacted the UK’s Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss. He said:

"Arresting a 90 year-old Cardinal, along with one of Hong Kong's most internationally respected barristers, a popular singer and a prominent scholar takes the Chinese Communist Party regime and its proxies in Hong Kong to even lower depths of outrageous inhumanity in their repression of dissent in the city.

“The international community must speak swiftly and clearly in condemnation of these arrests, and must accompany rhetoric with action to signal that Beijing will no longer be allowed to act with impunity and get away with such egregious injustice without consequence.”

Commenting on the arrest of Cardinal Zen in particular, the last Governor of Hong Kong, Lord Patten of Barnes, a Patron of Hong Kong Watch, said:

“The arrest of Cardinal Zen, one of the most important figures in the Catholic Church in Asia and in the Catholic Church’s advocacy for human rights in China and elsewhere, is yet another outrageous example of how the Chinese Communist Party is hellbent on turning Hong Kong into a police state. The arrest of other decent and brave Hong Kong citizens at the same time doubles down on the wickedness of what the Communists are doing.

“Beijing has, perhaps suitably, imposed a policeman, known for his disregard for human rights, as Hong Kong’s next Chief Executive. He has brought discredit on the Hong Kong police service, demonstrating that he would not know the rule of law if it hit him in the eye with a plastic baton rod.

“I hope that the Vatican and Catholics everywhere will protest about the arrest of a great Catholic pastor and advocate, and pray for his safety and well-being and that of the whole of Hong Kong. This will presumably drive a nail into the coffin of the attempts by the Vatican to establish some sort of deal with China’s Communists, who regard any sort of religion as a threat to their tyrannous grip on power.”

Hong Kong Watch’s US Patron and former US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, has called for sanctions on China’s leadership. He said:

“This is horrible and truly unbelievable. The Chinese Communist Party has sunk to a new low. It is outrageous. China's leadership should be sanctioned immediately for their wanton disregard of the rule of law and basic civil liberties."

Jan Figel, former European Union Special Envoy for freedom of religion or belief outside the EU, said:

"Human dignity is a foundational principle of fundamental human rights. Regrettably, dignity of any dissenting person is brutally abused by Chinese and Hong Kong's power holders today."

國安處拘捕「612基金」信託人標誌北京正進一步打壓香港基本權利及自由

香港警方國安處今天以 「勾結外國勢力」為由，拘捕了已經解散的 612人道支援基金的四名信託人，包括大律師吳靄儀、歌手何韻詩、陳日君樞機主教和學者許寶強。

612人道支援基金在 2019年的抗爭運動中為被捕的抗爭者提供法律援助，於 2021年宣布停止運作。

學者許寶強試圖經香港國際機場離開香港時被捕。

香港監察行政總監羅傑斯評論國安處拘捕「612基金」信託人時指：

「香港監察譴責香港當局拘捕 4名「612基金」信託人，他們的所謂罪名只是在 2019年抗爭運動其間為支持民主的抗爭者提供法律援助。

今天的拘捕明顯地標誌著北京當局打算進一步打壓香港基本權利及自由。

我們敦促國際社會照亮這種殘酷的鎮壓，並呼籲香港當局立即釋放這些被捕人士。」

香港監察贊助人、利物浦的奧爾頓勳爵今天在國會就是次拘捕提問，並聯絡英國外交大臣卓慧思，他指：

 「拘捕一位90歲的榮休主教、香港其中一位最受國際尊重的大律師、一位受歡迎的歌手以及一位知名學者，中共政權及其香港爪牙在打壓異見方面極之令人髮指。

國際社會必須迅速及明確譴責是次拘捕行動，並且必須以行動配合言辭，以確保北京政府為其不公行為承擔後果。」

香港監察贊助人、前港督彭定康勲爵在評論榮休主教陳日君樞機被捕時特別表示：

「陳日君樞機是亞洲天主教會最重要人物之一，在中國和其他地方倡導人權方面擔當重要角色。他的被捕是中共一心將香港變成警察社會又一令人髮指的例子。而當局同時拘捕其他正直和勇敢的香港公民，更加倍突顯中國共產黨的邪惡本質。

北京成功精心挑選一個因無視人權而聞名的警察出任香港特首，他的言行引證他本人及香港警察部門無論如何也不會將法治放在眼內。

我希望教廷和各地的天主教徒會發聲抗議中港當局拘捕一位偉大的天主教牧師和倡議者，並為他和整個香港的福祉祈禱。這可能會將教廷嘗試與中共建立的關係劃上句號，因為中共暴政把任何一種宗教都視為威脅。」

香港監察美國贊助人、前美國國際宗教自由事務無任所大使 Sam Brownback 呼籲國際社會制裁中共政權領導層，他指：

「中國共產黨已經沉淪到一個新的低點。其所作所為絕對令人髮指。中共領導層必須立即受到制裁，因為他們公然無視法治和基本公民自由。」