China swoops down on dissidents

HONG KONG: In a string of dawn raids Wednesday, authorities arrested most of HongKong’s most prominent opposition figures, several whom stated that they had been accused of subversion under a federal security law enforced by Beijing this past year. From roughly 6 a.m., authorities began making arrests in the politicians’ houses, based on information received from the social media accounts of some of those detained.  The arrests were associated with their involvement in unsanctioned election primaries held annually by the democratic camp before legislative elections,” they said. The police action is the largest since the sweeping federal security law was enforced six months ago. The activists said the arrests were the primary associated with alleged subversion, a serious offence under regulations.  The scope and profile of these people detained, comprising many of Hong Kong’s resistance, marks a dramatic escalation in police’ attempts to crush dissent in town, that has been racked by weeks of antigovernment road protests at 2019. Over two weeks after the safety law was enforced, on the weekend of July 11 and 12, the resistance camp took part in self-organized primaries to pick chosen candidates for elections scheduled for September.   Organizers said that about 600,000 people cast their votes in the trial elections.