Hong Kong: Pro-democracy activist's wife arrested
March 9, 2023
Elizabeth Tang, a veteran union leader and wife of a prominent pro-democracy activist, was arrested on Thursday after she visited her imprisoned husband in a Hong Kong jail, according to unnamed sources close to the detained.
The city's authorities apprehended Tang on suspicions of "endangering national security" and "colluding with foreign forces," according to the local state-owned newspaper Wen Wei Po.
Who is Elizabeth Tang?
Tang is a labor activist working for the International Domestic Workers Federation. She was also a former executive in the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (CTU), which has been disbanded.
The CTU was the city's largest pro-democracy trade association before it was dissolved in 2021 due to security threats.
Why was Tang's husband imprisoned?
Lee Cheuk-yan, Tang's husband, is a leading pro-democracy activist. He was the former head of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China.
The alliance organized mass candlelight vigils on the anniversary of the 1989 military crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
However, after the Chinese government imposed the security law, the coalition voted to dissolve in 2021.
Lee was arrested on charges of unlawful assembly and other offenses.
Restrictions on free speech
Beijing's national security law, introduced in 2021, has led to the arrest of more than 230 citizens, including pro-democracy activists and politicians.
The law was implemented in response to the mass pro-democracy demonstrations of 2020.
Several Western governments have condemned the law stating that it is a measure to restrict free speech.
The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural rights, on Monday, also expressed their concern and requested the authorities in charge to review the security law.
Hong Kong and Chinese authorities have denied accusations that the law is being used to suppress the democratic opposition.
They say that the law has proved to be beneficial for the city's stability.
aa/sms (Reuters, ap)