Six people have been arrested by Hong Kong national security police for allegedly conspiring to forge signatures, two of whom were also suspected of breaching the colonial-era sedition law over allegedly “seditious” online posts.
Three men and three women, aged 33 to 64, were arrested in various districts of the city on Tuesday, suspected of forging signatures on documents, police said in a statement.
Among them, a 33-year-old man and a 64-year-old woman were also suspected of endangering national security by repeatedly publishing posts on social media with a “seditious intention,” allegedly to bring “hatred against the government, advocated Hong Kong independence and incited the use of violence,” police said.
Some electronic communication devices and documents were confiscated from the homes of the arrested, according to the police statement. All six have been detained for further enquiries.
Sedition is not covered by the Beijing-imposed national security law, which targets secession, subversion, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts and mandates up to life imprisonment. Those convicted under the sedition law – last amended in the 1970s when Hong Kong was still a British colony – face a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
