Hong Kong 12
Referring to the same sources, the passengers had included activist Andy Li, who had been arrested on August 10 under charges related to the national security law and released on bail.
Hong Kong police chief Chris Tang told media on August 27 that he had heard the reports on the detention, and that the force was actively seeking information from the mainland authorities.
[7] Secretary of Security John Lee implied in statements made around that time that the Hong Kong government would not interfere with mainland law enforcement in the case.
A trial hearing for the two underage defendants would be closed off to the public;[10] they were returned to Hong Kong police on December 28, where they were facing extra charges for allegedly absconding.
[11] At a December 28 trial – where no relatives, Hong Kong media, or foreign ambassador representatives were allowed to audit the hearing, contrary to what the court said[12] –, eight of the ten defendants of age were sentenced to seven months of prison terms for illegal border crossing.
They were held in quarantine upon arrival while local courts began hearings on their cases, with Andy Li being charged under the national security law.
[15] The incident gained attention in Hong Kong and internationally, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo releasing a press statement on September 11 in which he expressed his concern both about the detainees' welfare as well as their lack of access to family-appointed lawyers.
[38] The social media post on August 26 only mentioned the GPS location, the time of arrest, and the number of Hong Kong residents detained.
[citation needed] According to state-affiliated newspapers, the 12 individuals set out at around 7am on August 23 from a dock located in eastern Hong Kong's Sai Kung.
[45] In Guangdong, the province of China where the coastguards were based, the public safety division and a spokesman of the provincial authorities declined to provide more details.
[47] The human rights lawyers Lu Siwei and Ren Quanniu, who had been appointed by the detainee's family members, were denied meeting access.
"[53] Secretary of Security John Lee acknowledged in a TVB interview that Hong Kong authorities had only been informed of the capture five days after, and claimed that all 12 detainees were in good health.
[60] Hong Kong police arrested a group of nine people who allegedly had provided financial and other assistance to the detainees before their voyage, and for after their arrival in Taiwan.
[63] Activists familiar with the matter told reporters in a group chat that at least five family-appointed lawyers had received verbal warnings from various levels of Chinese justice bureaus to drop the work for their clients.
[80] In April 2024, Tang Kai-yin, who upon his return to Hong Kong had pleaded guilty to the charges of possessing materials that could be used to make petrol bombs and perverting the course of justice, was jailed for three years and 10 months.
Initially limited information from Chinese authorities prompted[79] six of the 12 families held a joint press conference with the help of politicians Owen Chow, Eddie Chu, and James To.
The Mandarin-speaking callers allegedly asked family members for details of the detainees' Hong Kong arrest and charges, and not to mention the names of the "government-appointed lawyers".
[94][95] Beginning September 22, students from the University of Hong Kong set up booths as they returned to the campus to bring awareness of the incident and collect well-wishes postcards.
[92] On October 1, as Hong Kong residents celebrated the annual mid-autumn festival, district representatives and various pro-democracy group set up street booths to voice their support of the detainees.
In his opening statement, activist Owen Chow suggested that Hong Kong authorities had conspired with their mainland counterparts to send Hongkongers to China.
[100] Hong Kong district councillors and activist group Student Politicism have been holding street booths to raise awareness of the detainment.
[101] In addition to holding street booths in the city, on October 27 it was also discovered that the words "FREE HK SAVE 12" were painted on the helicopter pad of Tai Mei Tuk country park.
[109] At night, Hong Kong citizens raised a neon-light "SAVE 12" sign on Lion Rock to show their support and continue to bring awareness.
[110] On December 10, also known as international Human Rights Day, chairman and vice-chairman of pro-democracy League of Social Democrats protested outside of Chinese Liaison office, chanting "Save 12" and holding signs.
[115] The next day U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus tweeted the arrests were “another example of the deterioration of human rights in Hong Kong”, and urged China to “ensure due process”.
[123] On October 21, over 60 Parliament members urged Foreign Minister Dominic Raab to make it a "diplomatic priority" to pressure Carrie Lam and his Beijing counterpart to release the 12 activists.
"[127] On December 2, the 100th day of the capture with zero contact from the detainees, over 150 parliamentarians from 18 different countries jointly called on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to intercede and "ensure that they are guaranteed justice”.
[128] The signatories, according to organization Hong Kong Watch, include Parliamentarians from "Australia, Canada, Denmark, EU, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden, Uganda, UK, and USA".
The legislator Jeremy Tam, who has also worked as a pilot, pointed out that it was very likely that the GFS aircraft was conducting surveillance on the boat, and that the Hong Kong Government may have provided information of the speedboat to Mainland law enforcement.
[100] In August 2021, Andy Li pleaded guilty in the High Court to conspiring to collude with Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai, his aide Mark Simon, and foreign forces.
