简体中文
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) police said on Wednesday that 53 people were arrested on suspicion of committing crimes including subversion under China's national security law.
About 1,000 national security officers took part in the operation in which 72 locations were searched, according to the police.
HKSAR Secretary for Security John Lee also confirmed the arrests, saying the government will not tolerate "subversive" acts.
They have been arrested for their involvement in the opposition camp's "primaries" for the local Legislative Council election in July. Benny Tai, the main organizer of such "primaries," is among the arrested.
According to the police, the organizer of the "primaries" planned to veto the government's budget and disrupt the government's operation.
These "primaries" sought to hijack public opinion under the pretext of a "referendum," a spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said in response to the event on July 14.
The so-called primaries and the referendum are not stipulated in the Basic Law or any existing law pertaining to elections in the HKSAR, rendering such acts organized by any group or individual illegal, the spokesperson said.
(CGTN)
