The law, described by China as a"sword" hanging over the heads of its pro-democracy opponents, was imposed on the financial hub by Beijing in June, with authorities promising it would not apply to past transgressions.
On August 10, police conducted their largest operation yet under the law, arresting 10 people -- six of them for"colluding with foreign forces". 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.
Speaking to the Apple Daily, his own newspaper, Lai said police had focused their attention on calls he made before the law took effect on June 30 lobbying for international action.Tony Chung, 19, was arrested alongside three others on July 29 for allegedly inciting secession. "All those posts were published before the law came into force, with the oldest one dated in 2016," Chung told AFP.
The lawyer involved in national security cases said he believed police often had no intention of charging those arrested.