human rights
Hong Kong Cardinal Zen arrested by security police
Joseph Zen photographed in February 2018. According to a newspaper report, the retired Hong Kong cardinal has been arrested. Photo: Vincent Yu/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
China continues to crack down on Hong Kong. Several members of the pro-democracy movement were arrested, allegedly for supporting activists. One of them is 90-year-old Cardinal Zen.
Retired Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen and three other members of the pro-democracy movement have been arrested on alleged violations of the controversial national security law, according to a report.
As the South China Morning Post newspaper reported, citing a source, Cardinal Zen, former opposition MP Margaret Ng and singer Denise Ho were arrested for alleged “collusion with foreign forces”.
The three were among five trustees of a relief fund set up to provide financial support to activists involved in the 2019 anti-government protests in Hong Kong. According to the report, the security police arrested a fourth trustee on Tuesday.
In Rome, the news of the arrest of the 90-year-old caused great concern. “The Holy See was concerned about the arrest of Cardinal Zen and is following developments with the greatest attention,” said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.
In the summer of 2020, Beijing passed a draconian national security law for its Hong Kong special administrative region, which severely curtails the political rights of the population. Since then, many supporters of the opposition have either been arrested, retired from politics or fled abroad.