HONG KONG - Hong Kong police are using the past words and deeds of government critics to bolster investigations under the city's sweeping new security law, despite the legislation not being retroactive.
"They will go back into your history and look for connections," one lawyer involved in national security investigations told AFP, requesting anonymity to speak freely, adding police were empowered to use past acts as"background information" for both investigations and upcoming trials. The reason, according to a source present who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, was an advert placed in Nikkei a year ago calling for international support for pro-democracy protests then convulsing the city.Despite being a collaborative effort, the Nikkei advert featured the name of pro-democracy party Demosisto, which was led by young activists until it disbanded hours before the security law came in.
He is a former member of Studentlocalism, a pro-independence group that disbanded its Hong Kong chapter before the security law came in. A Hong Kong police spokesman declined to comment on active investigations but said"there is no retroactive effect" on the work they carry out under the national security law.