Prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong arrested again

HONG KONG —  Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong said he was arrested Thursday on suspicion of participating in an unauthorized assembly in October of last year.

Wong tweeted that he was arrested when he reported to Hong Kong’s Central Police Station as part of a bail requirement related to another case.

He said he was also accused of violating a pre-coronavirus law banning the wearing of a mask in public places because they obscure a person’s identity.

Wong told reporters after being released from the Hong Kong police station that it is the third case against him. He vowed to press on with his pro-democracy activism in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

Wong rose to prominence as a student leader during the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests for universal suffrage, and is among a growing number of activists being charged with relatively minor offenses since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong, which has severely restricted political speech.

Wong played a low-key role in the mostly leaderless and sometimes violent anti-government protests last year that led to the new security law. With Beijing’s encouragement, Hong Kong authorities have been pursuing charges against major opposition figures for illegal assembly and other minor infractions in what some call a campaign to harass and intimidate dissidents.