Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Outside a maximum security jail in Hong Kong, a Catholic priest began a three-day demonstration on Thursd...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - Outside a maximum security jail in Hong Kong, a Catholic priest began a three-day demonstration on Thursday in the scorching heat, calling for the release of activists and democratic politicians detained under a broad national security statute.
Born in Milan missionary On an isolated section of Lantau Island in Hong Kong, longtime rights activist Franco Mella swore to abstain from food as he stood on a dam wall and looked down onto the Shek Pik prison.
The 74-year-old, who participated in the massive pro-democracy demonstrations that rocked the international financial centre in 2019, told reporters that if the activists were released, Hong Kong residents would feel "more confident in the future."
"It's quite hot outside. They are thus in pain internally. We are with you; never give up hope is one of the messages. Let's keep up the struggle for everyone's freedom."
Mella vowed to abstain from food for the duration of his deed, which was made more difficult by the high temperature (86F).
An inquiry for response from Reuters was not immediately answered by the Hong Kong administration.
Since China implemented the national security law on the former British colony in June 2020 to put an end to the 2019 disturbance, almost 200 people have been detained under its provisions. Since the law's implementation, protests have been limited and infrequent, in part because of COVID-19 limitations placed by the government on public meetings.
Chinese and Hong Kong officials have repeatedly stated that the law was required to restore stability following months of occasionally violent demonstrations, despite international critics, including some governments, warning that it has been used to effectively silence opposition politicians, civil society, and some media groups.
Officials from Hong Kong have stated that the law is applied based on the evidence and not the history of an individual or group.
The top American diplomat in Hong Kong issued a warning on Monday, saying that the "crude and chilling" application of the law threatened Hong Kong's long-standing status as a global financial hub.
The 90-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen was one of the prominent Catholic figures detained for national security reasons that Washington criticised.
Mella was one of more than a dozen Christian leaders who publicly pleaded with Carrie Lam, the leader of Hong Kong at the time, to release media tycoon Jimmy Lai and other political activists who are incarcerated or detained.
