Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, July 30th. The Hong Kong police reported on the evening of the 29th that the National Security Service of the Police Force of the Special Administrative Region Government arrested 4 criminal suspects on charges stipulated by the Hong Kong National Security Law on the afternoon of the 29th. This is the first active enforcement action by the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police in accordance with the Hong Kong National Security Law.
Li Guihua, Senior Superintendent of the National Security Division of the Police Department, introduced to the media that the police had obtained intelligence and investigated and discovered that a group had recently announced the establishment of an organization advocating "Hong Kong independence" on social media. The organization has its own program, including the establishment of a "Hong Kong Republic", etc., and declares to fight without setting a bottom line, and "unites" all the opposition in Hong Kong to carry out similar actions. In addition, the organization has related declarations, inciting others to join.
At about 15:30 on the 29th, the police arrested the 4 suspects in Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, Sha Tin and other places in the New Territories on suspicion of violating the Hong Kong National Security Law. Among them were 3 men and 1 woman. They were aged between 16 to 21 years old, all reported as students.
Li Guihua stated that the four criminal suspects arrested were respectively suspected of violating Article 20 and Article 21 of the Hong Kong National Security Law.
The police appealed that Hong Kong’s National Security Law clearly defines crimes that endanger national security, and appeals to citizens not to try the law with their own hands, and that related crimes committed on the Internet must also be held legally responsible.
The police did not report the identity of the arrested suspect. Hong Kong media reported that one of them was Zhong Hanlin, the former convener of the "Hong Kong Independence" organization "Student Movement".