Police say four members of a Hong Kong university student union have been arrested for allegedly advocating terrorism by paying tribute to a person who stabbed a police officer and then killed himselfHONG KONG -- Four members of a Hong Kong university student union were arrested Wednesday for allegedly advocating terrorism by paying tribute to a person who stabbed a police officer and then killed himself, police said. Police arrested four men between 18 and 20 years old who were committee members and members of the student council at the University of Hong Kong, said Li Kwai-wah, senior superintendent of the police national security division. The arrests are the latest use of a strict national security law that Beijing imposed on semi-autonomous Hong Kong last year after months of anti-government protests in 2019. Police previously cautioned people against mourning the attacker, saying it was “no different from supporting terrorism.”The student union withdrew its motion mourning the attacker after facing criticism from the government and the university and some union members quit. Critics say the law has been used to stifle dissent and restrict freedoms Hong Kong was promised it could maintain for 50 years following its 1997 handover to China.

Source: ABC News August 18, 2021 05:44 UTC