A day after Agnes Chow was arrested late on Aug. 10 under China’s new national security law, Hong Kong police released the prominent pro-democracy activist on bail.
Chow was arrested for “inciting secession” under the national security law, according to her verified Facebook account. Chow told reporters after her release that her passport had been seized.
She was among 10 people arrested on Aug. 10 in a national security investigation. The operation saw media mogul Jimmy Lai, 71, and other senior executives at his Apple Daily newspaper detained. Police said they arrested nine men and one woman, aged between 23 and 72. Lai was released on bail shortly after Chow’s release.
It was the latest and highest-profile police operation against dissidents under the sweeping new law and sparked a fresh round of condemnation over the territory’s stuttering freedoms.
Chow, who speaks fluent Japanese and is popular in Japan, was among a group of pro-democracy activists who earlier this year urged Tokyo to rethink a planned visit to the country by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The visit was originally set for March and has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AFP-Jiji, Reuters, The Japan Times)