In an unprecedented crackdown from Hong Kong‘s professional-democracy camp, China rounded up 53 elected professional-democracy officers and activists early Wednesday for their participation in an unofficial key election for the territory’s legislature final calendar year.

The mass arrest is the greatest sweep of the opposition leaders beneath the new national safety legislation imposed by Beijing to stamp out dissent in the semiautonomous territory. The Hong Kong safety secretary, Josh Lee, regarded by the professional-democracy proponents as China’s lackey, defended the crackdown stating that the actions of the leaders and activists were being subverting the city’s govt.

“The operation now targets the energetic components who are considered to be included in the crime of overthrowing, or interfering (and) seriously demolish the Hong Kong government’s legal execution of obligations,” claimed John Lee, Hong Kong’s stability minister, in a information meeting.

On Wednesday morning, a legion of 1,000 national safety forces was deployed as a element of Beijing’s sweeping clampdown on Hong Kong’s opposition figures. About 53 persons ended up arrested, together with an American attorney John Clancey, who served as treasurer for a team that served organise the casual principal elections and also searched the premises of regulation agency Ho Tse Wai & Associates.

Other than, the police also raided the property of Hong Kong’s most well known professional-democracy supporter Joshua Wong, saying that the activist experienced participated in the primaries. Mr Wong is serving a 13-months jail sentence in link with his part in the 2019 Hong Kong protests, an accusation not joined with the new countrywide protection regulation forcibly passed by China in June last 12 months.

The legislative election that would have adopted the unofficial primaries was postponed by a yr by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who cited the general public wellness dangers all through the coronavirus pandemic. Mass resignations and disqualifications of pro-democracy lawmakers have left the legislature mainly a professional-Beijing human body.

National Protection Law provides unbridled powers to China to undermine opposition and suppress pro-democracy forces

With the latest arrests, the Chinese federal government has escalated its endeavours in weakening the opposition in Hong Kong and doing away with their existence from the governmental institutions. Nonetheless, this is not the initial time that China has made use of the whip of the national safety legislation to quell the opposition.

Last yr, the govt disqualified pro-democracy lawmakers from managing in September election in the Legislative Council. Subsequently, the legislative council elections were being postponed by a year by Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam citing coronavirus issues. But, a lot of in the pro-democracy camp claimed that the officials had been attempting to avert an uncomfortable loss for the professional-Beijing legislators.

A couple months later on, in November, the Hong Kong federal government disqualified another 4 professional-democracy legislators, who it reported had advocated or had been insufficiently important of the US sanctions on the town.

Media mogul Jimmy Lai and professional-democracy activists hauled up by Hong Kong authorities less than the NSL

Ever since China handed the sweeping national security regulation in Hong Kong, successfully ending its autonomy, it has sought to use the statute of the legislation to command overall obedience. In December 2020, media mogul Jimmy Lai was billed with foreign collusion offences and endangering countrywide stability below the draconian nationwide stability legislation (NSL). The owner of Hong Kong tabloid Apple Every day, Lai has been just one of the most fierce pro-democratic voices in Hong Kong.

The move arrived a week after the Hong Kong authorities jailed activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow, and Ivan Lam with the sentence in between for 7 to 13 months for their roles in an unauthorised protest outside law enforcement headquarters previous year. A overall of 16 pro-democracy activists, such as learners concerned in a peaceful campus demonstration, had been arrested by the authorities.

A handful of days ago, on December 29, Hong Kong college student activist Tony Chung was sentenced to four months in jail for insulting the Chinese flag for the duration of a protest in Might previous 12 months. The 19-year-outdated activist was guilty of unlawful assembly and defiling the Chinese flag under the nationwide protection regulation just after he was filmed throwing the flag to the ground throughout scuffles outside the house Hong Kong’s parliament in 2019.