A teenage Hong Kong activist was arrested near the US consulate before entering to claim asylum, according to local media reports. The young man faces secession charges under the fairly new national security law and was detained on Tuesday. In total, three young adults under the age of 21 were arrested in relation to secessionist comments on social media, Tony Chung, William Chan, and Yanni Ho.
Friends of Hong Kong, a relatively small UK-based activist organization backing the pro-democracy protestors in the city claim to have been working with Chung in allowing him to claim asylum at the US consulate. Unfortunately, Chung was arrested before he was able to do so. All three of the teens were previously arrested in July for posts associated with the activist group Studentlocalism. The Hong Kong branch of Studentlocalism largely disbanded after the national security law was imposed on the city, banning secession, subversion, and collusion with foreign forces.
Read More: Hong Kong teenage activist detained after reportedly planning to claim asylum at US consulate
