Hong Kong police arrest 8 activists over anti-government protests

Hong Kong police on Tuesday arrested eight activists in connection to a protest that took place in July.

This is the latest in Beijing’s crackdown on the city as pro-democracy activists have led countless demonstrations against the Chinese government, some of which have become violent.

Authorities did not identify those who were arrested, only sharing that they were between the ages of 24 and 64. According to Reuters, local media identified one of the arrested activists as Leung Kwok-hung, a veteran activist also known as Long Hair.

On Monday, eight people were also arrested due to a small demonstration at a university campus in November.

Beijing enacted new legislation in June that cracked down on political crimes by imposing life sentences. Three former pro-democracy leaders were arrested in November for disrupting a legislative session earlier in the year.

On Monday, the Trump administration issued sanctions against Chinese officials in response to its actions against opposition lawmakers. The sanctions specifically targeted 14 vice chairs of China’s National People’s Congress.

These officials and their immediate families were barred from traveling to the U.S. and any assets they had in the U.S. were frozen. Americans were also barred from interacting from these officials or their assets.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Monday, “Beijing’s unrelenting assault against Hong Kong’s democratic processes has gutted its Legislative Council, rendering the body a rubber stamp devoid of meaningful opposition.”

Though he has indicated that he will be more engaged on the international stage, President-elect Joe Biden has stated that he will not immediately lift the sanctions placed on China by the Trump administration when he assumes office in January.

In an interview with CNN, Biden said that he will insist that China play by “international norms” if it wants to continue its relationship with the U.S.