Seven pro-democratic politicians in Hong Kong have been arrested over protests and scuffles that broke out in the city’s legislature earlier this year, according to a police statement.
The seven politicians – four of them sitting legislators – were arrested on Sunday on charges of “contempt” and “interfering” with members of the city’s Legislative Council in early May, police said.
It did not name the politicians but said the seven included six men and one woman.
The police said the action was part of an investigation into what happened at a May 8 meeting in which pro-democracy legislators sought to obstruct the appointment of a pro-Beijing politician to the chair of a key committee that decides which bills come up for debate.
The arrests are the latest in a string of prosecutions launched against critics of China.
Hong Kong’s legislative chamber passes the semi-autonomous territory’s laws but only half of its seats are directly elected and a complex appointment system ensures the city’s pro-Beijing establishment are all but guaranteed a majority
Scuffles and protests routinely break out, with the pro-democracy minority often resorting to filibustering, chanting and obstruction to try to halt bills they oppose.
The May 8 confrontation occurred when the pro-Beijing camp forcibly installed one of their politicians as the House Committee’s chair, prompting angry scenes and protests in the chamber as legislators from both sides used placards to protest amid boisterous heckling and physical obstruction.
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Source: aljazeera.
