U.S., China Spar Over Mainland Detention of 12 Hong Kong Activists Fate of the dozen arrested on a speedboat trying to flee city for Taiwan has fueled fears over Beijing’s crackdown on dissidents
China’s arrest of 12 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, nabbed as they tried to flee the city by boat in the face of an intensifying crackdown on dissent, is fueling a new war of words between Washington and Beijing.
On Sunday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Twitter that the people detained weren’t seeking democratic freedoms but “elements attempting to separate Hong Kong from China.” Other Chinese officials this weekend accused the U.S. of meddling in China’s internal affairs.
U.S. State Department officials on Friday called on China to ensure that the activists receive due process of law. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the group had been denied access to lawyers and said China had yet to say what charges they face or to provide information about their welfare.
The detentions have rattled nerves in Hong Kong, where many were already on edge after China imposed a new national security law on June 30, leading to more than a dozen arrests, many opposition voices to fall silent and some to flee abroad.
China’s handling of the case has rekindled fears about the mainland’s opaque legal system—one of the main drivers of mass protests in Hong Kong last year that ultimately led to China’s crackdown.
Police in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen on Sunday said they had taken the 12 into custody for illegally crossing the border into Chinese waters—the first such public confirmation by mainland authorities. The detainees’ legal rights would be respected, the police said.
A day earlier, masked relatives of some of the detainees held a tearful press conference in Hong Kong to plead for legal assistance and demand those arrested be sent back to the city to face any charges in Hong Kong courts, which they believe are more independent and transparent.
The dozen arrested activists, including a 16-year-old boy, were detained Aug. 23 by the Chinese Coast Guard in the South China Sea while they were en route to the neighboring self-governed island of Taiwan.
Almost all faced charges in Hong Kong related to the long-running protests that broke out in June last year.
One of those detained, Andy Li, was among the first 20 arrested under the national security law for Hong Kong, allegedly for colluding with activists overseas. Charges faced by some of the others on the boat included rioting and possessing explosives.
The group has been held at the Yantian Detention Center in Shenzhen. Detainees haven’t been allowed to contact their families or hire lawyers of their choice, said Eddie Chu, a Hong Kong lawmaker who on Saturday read out a statement on behalf of their families.
On Friday, Mr. Pompeo aimed a barb at Hong Kong’s top local official, Carrie Lam, saying the U.S. “questioned Executive Lam’s stated commitment to protecting the rights of Hong Kong residents, and call on authorities to ensure due process.”
The Hong Kong Immigration Department said Saturday that it is “actively following up” on the incident and will continue to do so and provide appropriate assistance. The department said it was told by mainland authorities that “the 12 persons are physically well and have been appointed lawyers.” The department could help deliver letters to the detained, the statement said.
The characterization of the detainees as separatists by the Foreign Ministry’s Ms. Hua was challenged by some lawyers in Hong Kong who said there was no obvious evidence of such a crime. They also said the way mainland police handled the case was worrying because it was similar to how human-rights activists in China are treated.
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