The 12 Hongkongers arrested by Chinese authorities at sea en route to Taiwan last month were separatists intent on splitting the territory from China, Beijing’s most senior foreign ministry spokesperson said on social media on Sunday, raising concerns from their supporters that harsher punishment could be in store.

The comments by Hua Chunying were a retort to her American counterpart on Twitter, who on the same platform the night before denounced the arrests of what she termed “democracy activists” as a further sign of Hong Kong’s deteriorating human rights.

“Seriously?! Fact check: The 12 people were arrested for illegally crossing the border in waters [sic]. They are not democratic activists, but elements attempting to separate #HongKong from China,” Hua tweeted.

On Saturday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus hit out at China, saying “legitimate governments do not need to wall their countries in and prevent their citizens from leaving.”

“The arrest of 12 Hong Kong democracy activists is another sad example of the deterioration of human rights in Hong Kong. Authorities in Guangdong must ensure due process,” Ortagus tweeted.

Late last month, the group of Hongkongers, some of whom were tied to anti-government protests in the city, were intercepted on a speedboat by the Chinese coast guard in waters off Shenzhen. They were allegedly traveling to Taiwan to seek political asylum.

Lawyers hired by families of some of the Hongkongers in detention have said they have not been allowed to see their clients.

The Yantian office of the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau said in a statement on Sunday that the group had been arrested on Aug. 23 and “suspected of crossing the border illegally.” The case was under investigation and the public security authorities would “protect the legitimate rights of the suspects in accordance with the law,” the bureau said.

Violations of entry and exit control laws are a criminal offense and punishable by up to one-year imprisonment, the authorities have said.

However, research by Apple Daily of similar cases revealed that some sentences can range from months to up to nearly three years.

The situation of the 12 detainees may have become more serious since Hua’s statement seemingly ratcheted up their alleged offenses to secession, said Owen Chow, an activist and district councilor who has been trying to assist the group. This would make it even harder for supporters and lawyers to assist them, he said.

The high-level spat over the detainees also suggests they are likely to be used as diplomatic pawns by Beijing, which wants to conjure up a “Hong Kong independence drama” for nationalist and populist aims, said Council Front lawmaker Eddie Chu. Other theatrics, such as forced televised confessions, could be expected too, Chu said.

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