More than 50 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists were arrested on Wednesday on allegation of violating the city’s national security law, local media reported, in the biggest crackdown yet against the opposition camp under the contentious new legislation. Hong Kong Police also arrived at the offices of pro-democracy online media Channel Stand News, shows the live footage on the Channel's website.

The Media Channel's News reporter said police had asked the editor-in-chief to sign documents related to a national security investigation. She said the media group would consult lawyers. The arrest of some of the city’s most prominent activists and former democratic lawmakers will further raise alarm that Hong Kong has taken a swift authoritarian turn recent days. Since June after the imposition of the new law, which critics say crushes wide-ranging freedoms in the city, places China further on a collision course with the United States just as Joe Biden prepares to take over the presidency crackdown occurs. 

The arrest included former lawmakers and activists James To, Lam Cheuk-ting and Lester Shum says the Democratic Party’s Facebook page and public broadcaster RTHK. According to the party's FB page, police arrested the activists for participating in an independently organised, unofficial ballot in July 2020 to select democratic candidates for a legislature election, which the Hong Kong government and Beijing warned at the time may violate the new law. 

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