Hong Kong journalist arrested in sedition case, media say

Hong Kong police arrested two people Wednesday for allegedly acting with seditious intent, and local media identified them as independent journalist Tang Ho-wing and activist Lee Ying-chi.

Police said the suspects were a 37-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman but did not name them. Images published by local media showed officers wearing National Security Department vests leading Tang in handcuffs from a residential building to a van.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association said Tang's detention was the first publicly known time a journalist had been arrested for sedition under the city's homegrown national security law, which was passed in 2024.

Police said the arrests were part of operations linked to an August 31 incident outside Prince Edward metro station. They said officers found people outside the station holding bouquets and shouting seditious slogans. Six other people were arrested over the same offence earlier this month and later released on bail, police said.

Tang had posted a video on social media from outside the station showing activists shouting "August 31". On August 31, 2019, during large pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, clashes between police and protesters broke out in multiple districts. Television footage from that day showed riot police entering Prince Edward station and arresting some protesters.

Police denied critics' claims that officers used batons and pepper spray to indiscriminately attack commuters and caused deaths. In Wednesday's statement, police described the 2019 allegation as an unfounded and manipulated lie.

Tang runs the online media outlet Boom News and has about 200,000 followers across multiple platforms. If convicted under the homegrown security law, the two people arrested Wednesday could face up to seven years in prison.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association said reporters could face risks if they were arrested for on-site reporting or for coverage that differed from the official narrative. The Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders also condemned Tang's arrest.

Authorities had arrested 416 people for various national security crimes as of September 1, with 186 convicted.