Security Office Statement
Last month, the police ordered the organization to hand over financial and operational details, accusing it of working as a “foreign agent.”
The request includes the personal details of all members since its establishment in 1989, all meeting minutes, financial records, and any exchanges with other non-governmental organizations that promote democracy and human rights in China.
On Tuesday, the deadline for their submission of information, members of the coalition submitted a letter to the police stating that the request was illegal, arbitrary, and did not provide evidence of their misconduct.
The coalition also refuted allegations that they were foreign agents, saying they were a domestic group running for Hong Kong people.
The arrests prompted a rare statement from Beijing’s secret National Security Office in Hong Kong, which took over a state-owned hotel shortly after the law was enacted last year and is currently building a permanent headquarters in the city.
“Anyone who violates Hong Kong’s National Security Law and other laws in Hong Kong must be punished by law,” the office said.
The office has only issued two such statements before — after the arrests of media mogul Li Zhiying and law professor Benny Tai — although more than 120 people were arrested under the National Security Act.
