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Hong Kong family solicits overseas support on social media to save detained son

蘋果日報 2020/09/18 06:15


The family of one of the dozen Hong Kong activists detained in mainland China has launched a social media campaign to plead for the international community’s support, following repeated failure to reach their son.
Andy Li is reportedly detained in Yantian, a town in Shenzhen bordering Hong Kong, on suspicion of illegally crossing the border. His group of 12 was captured by Guangdong coast guard in mainland waters on Aug. 23 when trying to flee to Taiwan via speedboat. Li was earlier arrested in Hong Kong under a sweeping national security law during an Aug. 10 police swoop.
He had been denied access to legal assistance, and his actual situation and whereabouts were unknown, the family said in a statement on Thursday. Mainland Chinese authorities have confirmed holding the 12 in Yantian but no lawyers appointed by the individual families seem to have been able to see the arrestees.
The detentions, nearing four weeks to date and counting, deepen the ingrained fear in many Hong Kong people about the judicial and law enforcement opacity in mainland China that ignited mass protests in the city last year.
The Li family said that Andy, "along with millions of Hongkongers, has joined the city’s pro-democracy movement since June 2019. Like many in his generation, Andy passionately believes in freedom, justice, democracy and human rights.
“He is a young man with a big heart, many interests and an exceptional talent.”
Family members of the imprisoned group broke their silence about the incident at a media conference on Sept. 12, after their legal representatives on the mainland said they had been barred from meeting the respective clients.
Mainland authorities claimed the group had appointed their own lawyers, the family members said in the press conference, and that the Hong Kong government had not offered any help with the case.
“If these Hong Kong residents were arrested for breaching mainland offenses, then they have to be dealt with according to mainland laws in accordance with the jurisdiction before any other things could happen,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Sept. 8.
Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, on Sunday went so far as to describe the 12 as “elements attempting to separate Hong Kong from China.”
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